as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
during the Vietnam War the university's campus effectively became the area's omphalos for antiwar activity
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of omphalos
While the temples have crumbled, seeing the omphalos gave me goose bumps, and left me awe-struck over Delphi’s sublime place in history.
—
Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 July 2019
Zeus marked the spot with a stone called the omphalos (navel), to signify the location’s centrality.
—National Geographic, 12 Mar. 2019
Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 July 2019
Zeus marked the spot with a stone called the omphalos (navel), to signify the location’s centrality.
—National Geographic, 12 Mar. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for omphalos
Noun
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Schiff and Levin chose a TrueCare health center on Mesa Drive in Oceanside to deliver their message.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
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The remaining contestants are placed in the center of a grid of 16 rooms, and asked to find the exit within 15 rounds.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested and charged with capital murder.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Jeevan Thomas, an editorial strategist with deep newsroom instincts, and Himanshu Kumar, a growth-minded technical operator, together have shown how modest capital, relentless focus on the audience, and meticulous process design can convert attention into revenue and then into meaningful exits.—
Jon Stojan,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Adapted from Lawrence Osborne’s novel, the film finds Lord Doyle adrift in the Eastern gambling mecca of Macau as his past and debts catch up with him.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
-
His Austin comedy club, Comedy Mothership, has been touted as a free speech mecca where comics don’t have to worry about cancel culture.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And the company reports compatibility with more donor bike styles, including commuter models, fatbikes, rear-hub ebikes and step-through frames.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Sep. 2025
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Lagos is known as the Algarve’s top surfing hub.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Genome sequencing includes both nuclear DNA -- the large, linear DNA in the cell's nucleus -- and the mitochondrial DNA, the smaller, circular DNA in the mitochondria, which is almost exclusively inherited from the mother.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Sep. 2025
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These exist at extremely high temperatures and allow atomic nuclei to overcome their mutual repulsion and fuse, releasing vast amounts of energy.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Also look for screwworm larvae (maggots) and eggs in or around body openings, such as the nose, ears, and genitalia, or the navel of newborn animals.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
24 Sep. 2025
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Stay here for several breaths, sending the tailbone high, gazing toward the navel, and pressing your heels gently toward the mat.—
Julia Eskins,
Outside,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In recent years, Oklahoma has emerged as a pop-cultural locus for America’s hidden racial sins.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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Just a stone’s throw from the United Center, the locus of the last time Democrats were even close to happy.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Omphalos.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/omphalos. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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