as in centers
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
a city that likes to regard itself as the nation's navel of art and culture
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of navels
Why The Belly Button Isn’t Universal Not all mammals have navels.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
This is not a condemnation; there are bad brains and there are good navels.
—Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
This is not a condemnation; there are bad brains and there are good navels.
—Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navels
Noun
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Leo's visit signals a return of papal attention to Europe's Christian roots after Pope Francis largely stayed away from the traditional centers of Christianity in favor of smaller Catholic communities farther away.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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Leo's visit signals a return of papal attention to Europe’s Christian roots after Pope Francis largely stayed away from the traditional centers of Christianity in favor of smaller Catholic communities farther away.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
Noun
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Riyadh was transformed into global locations including Mumbai, Shanghai, and other major international capitals.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
3 June 2026
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Bodrum and Göcek have emerged as the country’s answer to the Mediterranean’s luxury capitals, complete with chic beach clubs, designer outposts, sophisticated marinas and an increasingly ambitious restaurant scene.—
Katia Damborsky,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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One-way fares are $2, but select hubs and locations including Miramar, Sheridan Park and Broward Boulevard allow for free parking with a BCT One-Day Pass.—
Ava DiCecca,
Sun Sentinel,
5 June 2026
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Infantino visited Ferguson and his team at one of their research hubs at the University of Tennessee for a progress update last year and ended up staying for half a day, which is nearly as long as Ferguson’s working relationship with former England manager Fabio Capello.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Noun
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With one day left to declare candidacy in the race for Los Angeles mayor, all eyes are on Rick Caruso, the billionaire developer behind outdoor shopping meccas like The Grove.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
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After all, the Moroccan city is one of the world's great shopping meccas.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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La Familia members typically bang drums and sing their hearts out from opening to closing whistle but decided to stay quiet and brought no flags or instruments to the stadium.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
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Friendship inevitably blooms, and when Sidney leaves the scene (and Norton the series) at the end of Season 4, many hearts (including Geordie’s) are broken.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Permanent chancellor search One of Santiago’s key focuses is appointing a permanent chancellor.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
12 June 2026
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One of the main focuses of support for the campaign is to endow staff positions.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
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Researchers revealed that a radiofrequency pulse is then applied, briefly knocking the nuclei out of alignment.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
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This undated microscope image from USC via the NIH shows pancreatic cancer cells, nuclei in blue, growing as a sphere encased in membranes, red.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Noun
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The Spurs dominated the first half, right from the opening tip, even before Knicks fans, including celebrities Taylor Swift, Timothée Chalamet and others had a chance to sit down in their seats.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
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Meanwhile, reserved club seats and loge boxes are $30 including fees.—
Kailyn Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Navels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navels. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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