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
Running April 23-May 3, the Canary Islands event returns with more than 100 titles spanning competition, retrospectives, live-score screenings and special focuses.
—
Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
That comprehensive toll is one of the central focuses of a key report by Geoffrey Roth, a Standing Rock Sioux descendant, former vice chair of the Permanent Forum, and board chair of the Indigenous Determinants of Health Alliance, an international Indigenous health advocacy nonprofit.
—Anita Hofschneider, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
With Boeing already releasing its first-quarter plane deliveries ahead of the quarter, one of the focuses on Wednesday will be on orders — both in its commercial and defense divisions — and the size of their backlogs.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026
New studies by two major La Jolla medical research institutions explore aging and its effects on the brain, albeit with different focuses.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
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 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
Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
That comprehensive toll is one of the central focuses of a key report by Geoffrey Roth, a Standing Rock Sioux descendant, former vice chair of the Permanent Forum, and board chair of the Indigenous Determinants of Health Alliance, an international Indigenous health advocacy nonprofit.
—Anita Hofschneider, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
With Boeing already releasing its first-quarter plane deliveries ahead of the quarter, one of the focuses on Wednesday will be on orders — both in its commercial and defense divisions — and the size of their backlogs.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026
New studies by two major La Jolla medical research institutions explore aging and its effects on the brain, albeit with different focuses.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foci
Noun
-
Arguably the two top centers in Iowa’s Logan Jones and Florida’s Jake Slaughter went off the board within the final eight picks of the second round.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Hyundai will supply its HiMSEN engines Data centers are the backbone of modern digital services, from cloud computing to artificial intelligence applications.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 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
-
Kyiv has asked Turkey to help facilitate top-level talks and has reached out to other capitals as potential hosts, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, adding that Ukraine would consider any venue outside Russia and Belarus.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Iran responded quickly, hitting infrastructure across Gulf capitals and throwing the region, and millions of barrels of oil, into chaos.—
Emma Graham,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Staff were stationed throughout, giving runners directions, passing out water and cheering us on.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Regular service on the Tehran–Moscow route will operate on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in both directions, IRNA reported, citing officials with Mahan Air.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Flights to and from smaller California hubs such as Sacramento and Burbank have been canceled, while Air Canada and German airline Lufthansa slashed routes from their summer schedules earlier this month.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In parallel, the Inglewood Transit Connector plan aims to improve mobility between Market Street and the city’s sports and entertainment district, with elements including mobility hubs, bus rotaries, pickup and dropoff areas, and a public parking structure.—
Kaila Yu,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Here, sheep can’t solve crimes until human incompetence forces them to step into the breach; though pushed for the purposes of fantasy, the limits of animal intelligence are a poignant factor in the tale.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional veterinary advice.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Core players giving their squad a high baseline is always vital in the playoffs, and the Ducks finally have some chance at hanging with other teams’ nuclei thanks to Carlsson and Gauthier’s ongoing emergence.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
-
First, in most materials, the thorium nuclei release their energy not as light, but through a process called internal conversion, where the energy is transferred to an electron in the material instead.—
Andrei Derevianko,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 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 2 May. 2026.
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