variants
also focuses
1
as in centers
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
in the 19th century Paris was the focus of the art world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in compasses
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
a wildlife conservation organization that seems to have lost its focus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of foci
Despite Texas not satisfying their trio of focuses, a trio of sophomores stepped up to help carry the Longhorns to the Elite Eight.
—
Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 29 Mar. 2026
For Intelligence, the new focuses are real-time device telemetry, with Intel Device IQ (more about that below) able to detect issues and trigger local AI for remediation.
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
One of the main focuses of competition the team’s spring training could have essentially been a moot point.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
One of his main focuses as chief will be on staffing.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026
This legislative session, Republicans and Democrats have both said electricity affordability was one of their focuses, and both the House and Senate passed House Bill 1002 to tackle that issue.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Others questioned Nabi’s main focuses while leading Coty, particularly the atypical tie-in with Orveda.
—Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
And similar to last year, one of the focuses will be on revitalizing and converting older buildings into modern office spaces, apartments and hotels.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
Remembered for mental health outreach One of Codey's main focuses was on mental health.
—Christine Sloan, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 29 Mar. 2026
For Intelligence, the new focuses are real-time device telemetry, with Intel Device IQ (more about that below) able to detect issues and trigger local AI for remediation.
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
One of the main focuses of competition the team’s spring training could have essentially been a moot point.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
One of his main focuses as chief will be on staffing.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2026
This legislative session, Republicans and Democrats have both said electricity affordability was one of their focuses, and both the House and Senate passed House Bill 1002 to tackle that issue.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
Others questioned Nabi’s main focuses while leading Coty, particularly the atypical tie-in with Orveda.
—Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
And similar to last year, one of the focuses will be on revitalizing and converting older buildings into modern office spaces, apartments and hotels.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
Remembered for mental health outreach One of Codey's main focuses was on mental health.
—Christine Sloan, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foci
Noun
-
As gardeners head to their local garden centers early in the growing season, many seek organically sound amendments and treatments to support their vegetable gardens.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Iran struck Amazon Web Services data centers in the Middle East in early March, causing outages in a number of apps and digital services in the United Arab Emirates.—
Luke Fountain,Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pilots learn to navigate using maps and compasses, as well as natural cues such as stars and terrain features including rivers, bridges and other landmarks to orient themselves and move toward friendly forces.—
Luis Martinez,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Likewise, this administration has demonstrated a talent for sudden pivots — foreign policy statements that change overnight, budget proposals that evaporate by morning, and messaging that suggests the communications team may be using different maps, compasses and time zones.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those crises required two large IMF deals supported by tens of billions of dollars in Gulf aid and investments, reflecting a long-standing view among Gulf capitals that stability in the most populous Arab country is key to preventing wider turmoil.—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Last weekend, as Matthieu Blazy’s new collection dropped at Chanel in Dubai Mall, queues formed outside, not unlike other fashion capitals in recent weeks.—
Sujata Assomull,
Vogue,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Low-impact dyes, softer fabrications, and slub-character fabrics are among the key directions denim mills are pursuing for Fall/Winter 2027–2028.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
-
To tackle this issue, the new design boasts two sets of compressor blades rotating in opposite directions.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Instead of major hubs like New York or Los Angeles topping the list, smaller and mid-sized cities dominated the rankings.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Sweden’s migration minister has said the conservative ruling coalition approves setting up hubs outside Europe, especially for Afghan and Syrian asylum-seekers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The robotic characters break free from their restaurant resting place to cause chaos in town, while the villainous Marionette pops up to possess victims for her own nefarious purposes.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Trump has not only stolen top-secret government files, apparently for business purposes but used his office to harass and investigate his political targets.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is the faint thermal afterglow from some 380,000 years after the big bang that was unleashed when the hot, foglike plasma that filled the early universe cooled and cleared as primordial atomic nuclei bonded with free electrons.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In theory, beryllium-8 normally decays into two helium-4 nuclei.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
After all, the Moroccan city is one of the world's great shopping meccas.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Foci.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foci. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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