navels

noun

plural of navel
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navels
  1. centers
  2. capitals
  3. hubs
  4. meccas
  5. hearts
  6. foci
  7. bases
  8. nuclei
Noun
  • The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its forces carried out drone strikes on logistics centers, port infrastructure and three cargo ships in the port of Reni in the Odesa region.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Paired with on-site energy storage, SSTs could turn data centers from blunt-force loads into more flexible participants in the grid.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of centers
Noun
  • That means building stronger connections between the region’s fashion capitals, but also finding ways for designers to reach more international buyers, press and customers.
    — Ashley Ogawa Clarke, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Moscow has also noted the prospect of French or British nuclear guarantees extending to European states and nonnuclear European capitals considering the development of nuclear options of their own.
    — Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of capitals
Noun
  • Trump won the area handily in 2020 and 2024 and the arena placed the president hours away from the state’s blue-leaning hubs in Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Should inventory be staged closer to fulfillment centers or major retail distribution hubs?
    — Tom Wicky, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of hubs
Noun
  • Food meccas include Pier 57 (hit Nom Wah for legendary dim sum, or LoLo’s on the Water for the fish fry) and, of course, Chelsea Market (try Miznon’s pita cheeseburger and roasted cauliflower, and Ayada’s mango sticky rice).
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Instead of meccas or meeting places for diehard fans, live sporting events try to position themselves as major cultural moments.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of meccas
Noun
  • Our hearts are with the families whose homes and livelihoods have been impacted.
    — Ava Berger, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
  • There are also four black hearts hidden in the scarecrows, which can be used to blow up a player’s scarecrow avatar and block them from getting this mysterious power-up.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of hearts
Noun
  • Central Asia has the largest number of foci, or areas where the disease is present.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
  • There’s also the Chill and Thrill Islands, aptly named for their focuses on chilling and thrilling passengers, respectively.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of foci
Noun
  • Spotify had guided to slower MAU growth in the third quarter, pointing to changes to products in emerging countries to help the company better monetize its user bases.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The technology could have important applications in space exploration, including providing electricity for future Moon bases, scientific instruments and long-duration space missions.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of bases
Noun
  • Many of the heaviest elements arise only in environments where lots of free neutrons crash into atomic nuclei at great velocities.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Is an individual even a network, or is an individual just a genome, tiny little nuclei floating inside this tube?
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of nuclei

Browse Nearby Words

navel-gazing
navels
navies
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Cite this Entry

“Navels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navels. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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