Word forms: plural foci (foʊsaɪ), plural, 3rd person singular presenttense focuses, present participle focusing, past tense, past participle focusedlanguage note: The spellings focusses, focussing, focussed are also used. The plural of the noun can be either foci or focuses.
1. verb
If you focuson a particular topic or if your attention is focusedon it, you concentrate on it and think about it, discuss it, or deal with it, rather than dealing with other topics.
The research effort has focused on tracing the effects of growing levels of fivecompounds. [VERBon noun]
He is currently focusing on assessment and development. [VERB + on]
Today he was able to focus his message exclusively on the economy. [VERB noun on noun]
Many of the papers focus their attention on the controversy surrounding the ForeignSecretary. [VERB noun + on]
2. countable noun [usually singular]
Thefocus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
The U.N.'s role in promoting peace is increasingly the focus of international attention.
The new system is the focus of controversy. [+ of]
Her children are the main focus of her life. [+ of]
Synonyms: centre, focal point, central point, core More Synonyms of focus
3. countable noun [usually singular]
Your focus on something is the special attention that you pay it.
He said his sudden focus on foreign policy was not motivated by presidential politics.
The report's focus is on how technology affects human life rather than business.
IBM has also shifted its focus from mainframes to personal computers.
Synonyms: attention, concern, priority, concentration More Synonyms of focus
4. uncountable noun
If you say that something has a focus, you mean that you can see a purpose in it.
Somehow, though, their latest album has a focus that the others have lacked.
Suddenly all of the seemingly isolated examples took on a meaningful focus.
5. verb
If you focus your eyes or if your eyes focus, your eyes adjust so that you can clearly see the thing that you want to look at. If you focus a camera, telescope, or other instrument, you adjust it so that you can see clearly through it.
Kelly couldn't focus his eyes well enough to tell if the figure was male or female. [VERB noun]
His eyes slowly began to focus on what looked like a small dark ball. [VERB + on]
He found the binoculars and focused them on the boat. [VERB noun + on]
Had she kept the camera focused on the river bank she might have captured a vitalscene. [VERB-ed]
[Also VERB]
Synonyms: fix, train, direct, aim More Synonyms of focus
6. uncountable noun
You use focus to refer to the fact of adjusting your eyes or a camera, telescope, or other instrument, and to the degree to which you can see clearly.
His focus switched to the little white ball.
Together these factors determine the depth of focus.
It has no manual focus facility.
7. verb
If you focus rays of light on a particular point, you pass them through a lens or reflect them from a mirror so that they meet at that point.
Magnetic coils focus the electron beams into fine spots. [VERB noun preposition]
8. countable noun
The focus of a number of rays or lines is the point at which they meet.
[technical]
9.
See in focus
10.
See in focus
11.
See out of focus
12.
See out of focus
More Synonyms of focus
focus in British English
(ˈfəʊkəs)
nounWord forms: plural-cuses or -ci (-saɪ, -kaɪ, -kiː)
1.
a point of convergence of light or other electromagnetic radiation, particles, sound waves, etc, or a point from which they appear to diverge
2. another name for focal point (sense 1), focal length
3. optics
the state of an optical image when it is distinct and clearly defined or the state of an instrument producing this image
the picture is in focus
the telescope is out of focus
4.
a point upon which attention, activity, etc, is directed or concentrated
5. geometry
a fixed reference point on the concave side of a conic section, used when defining its eccentricity
6.
the point beneath the earth's surface at which an earthquake or underground nuclear explosion originates
Compare epicentre
7. pathology
the main site of an infection or a localized region of diseased tissue
verbWord forms: -cuses, -cusing, -cused, -cusses, -cussing or -cussed
8.
to bring or come to a focus or into focus
9. (transitive; often foll byon)
to fix attention (on); concentrate
Derived forms
focusable (ˈfocusable)
adjective
focuser (ˈfocuser)
noun
Word origin
C17: via New Latin from Latin: hearth, fireplace
focus in American English
(ˈfoʊkəs)
nounWord forms: pluralˈfocuses or ˈfoˌci (ˈfoʊˌsaɪ)
1.
the point where rays of light, heat, etc. or waves of sound come together, or fromwhich they spread or seem to spread; specif., the point where rays of light reflected by a mirror or refracted by a lens meet (called real focus) or the point where they would meet if prolonged backward through the lens or mirror (called virtual focus)
2.
focal length
3.
an adjustment of the focal length to make a clear image
to bring a camera into focus
4.
any center of activity, attention, etc.
5.
a part of the body where a disease process, as an infection, tumor, etc., is localizedor most active
6.
the starting point of an earthquake
7. Ancient Mathematics
a.
either of the two fixed points used in determining an ellipse
b.
any analogous point for a parabola or hyperbola
see also eccentricity (sense 3)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfocused or ˈfocussed, ˈfocusing or ˈfocussing
8.
to bring into focus
9.
to adjust the focal length of (the eye, a lens, etc.) in order to produce a clearimage
10.
to fix or settle on one thing; concentrate
to focus one's attention on a question
verb intransitive
11.
to meet at a focus
12.
to adjust one's eye or a lens so as to make a clear image
13.
to direct one's thoughts or efforts; concentrate
Idioms:
in focus
out of focus
Derived forms
focuser (ˈfocuser)
noun
Word origin
ModL, adopted in math. senses by Kepler (1604) < L, fireplace, hearth < ? IE base *bhok-, to flame, burn > ? Arm bo, flame
COBUILD Collocations
focus
become the focus
central focus
clear focus
increased focus
intense focus
lack focus
lose focus
maintain focus
narrow focus
particular focus
primary focus
single-minded focus
switch focus
Examples of 'focus' in a sentence
focus
It will take time to adjust your expectations and find a new focus in your life.
The Sun (2016)
With all that energy flying around she could sometimes appear to lack focus.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They also said ministers focus more on long term plans than on political point scoring.
The Sun (2016)
Put the camera away and focus on it.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
What has happened has happened and now you have to focus on something else.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Much like the referendum itself it seems inevitable that any election campaign would focus public attention on splits within the governing party.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I'm trying to bring that focus back on the team.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Its repetition will reinforce the focus point of your paragraph and essay.
Bachmann, Susan (editor) & Barth, Melinda Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric and Handbook (1995)
Spain gave me a focus on something totally different.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Our focus determines whether we have a survival mentality or a service mentality.
Christianity Today (2000)
Your best friend is clearly focusing on his relationship so move on.
The Sun (2009)
The cameras will focus only on the judge passing sentence.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Your family life is the focus of the solar eclipse.
The Sun (2011)
They understand the importance of business focus and of maintaining trust in their media brands.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We have focused our attention there for this reason.
Richard Fortey THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
They both focus on the purpose of their relationship.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
We have to wait until he comes back and focus on our next games without him.
The Sun (2013)
The controversy will focus attention on the macho culture that can exist in elite sport.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The focus police activity then switched to a stretch of riverbank outside the town.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Setting aside feelings and focusing on the facts ensures a fair cash deal.
The Sun (2010)
This means the focus should be on the rehabilitation and serious treatment of the player.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It would focus minds of bank bosses and reflect the cost of collapse borne by the whole of society.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Ofsted is bringing a sharper focus to literacy in its inspections but there is a lot more it could do yet.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Older models with manual focus carried the disadvantage that the photographer had to focus the image without seeing exactly what the camera saw.
Freeman, Michael Photographers Handbook (1993)
It's important to have time and space to focus and adjust.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
TODAY we're focusing on two different workouts.
The Sun (2012)
In other languages
focus
British English: focus /ˈfəʊkəs/ NOUN
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
The new system is the focus of much criticism.
American English: focus
Arabic: مَرْكَز
Brazilian Portuguese: foco
Chinese: 焦点
Croatian: fokus
Czech: střed zájmu
Danish: fokus
Dutch: focus
European Spanish: foco Fotografía
Finnish: keskipiste
French: centre
German: Brennpunkt
Greek: εστία
Italian: centro
Japanese: 焦点
Korean: 초점
Norwegian: fokus
Polish: ognisko optyka
European Portuguese: foco
Romanian: punct central
Russian: фокус
Latin American Spanish: foco centro de atención
Swedish: fokus
Thai: จุดเน้น
Turkish: odak
Ukrainian: фокус
Vietnamese: trọng tâm
British English: focus /ˈfəʊkəs/ VERB
If you focus on a particular topic, or if your attention is focusedon it, you concentrate on it and deal with it.
Today he focused on the economy.
Many of the papers focus their attention on the president.
American English: focus
Arabic: يُرَكِّزُ
Brazilian Portuguese: focar
Chinese: 集中
Croatian: usredotočiti se
Czech: soustředit se
Danish: fokusere
Dutch: aandacht hebben voor
European Spanish: enfocar
Finnish: kohdistaa
French: se concentrer
German: konzentrieren (sich)
Greek: εστιάζω
Italian: concentrarsi
Japanese: 焦点を合わせる
Korean: 초점을 맞추다
Norwegian: fokusere
Polish: skupić
European Portuguese: focar
Romanian: a se concentra
Russian: фокусировать(ся)
Latin American Spanish: enfocar
Swedish: fokusera
Thai: มุ่งเน้น
Turkish: odaklanmak
Ukrainian: зосереджувати(-ся)
Vietnamese: chú trọng
All related terms of 'focus'
in focus
If an image or a camera , telescope , or other instrument is in focus , the edges of what you see are clear and sharp .
clear focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
focus group
A focus group is a specially selected group of people who are intended to represent the general public. Focus groups have discussions in which their opinions are recorded as a form of market research.
lack focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
lose focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
prime focus
the focal point of the objective lens or primary mirror of a telescope
soft focus
If something in a photograph or film is in soft focus , it has been made slightly unclear to give it a more romantic effect.
central focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
focus puller
the member of a camera crew who adjusts the focus of the lens as the camera is tracked in or out
intense focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
narrow focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
primary focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
sensate focus
a series of touching exercises designed to increase intimacy in a sexual relationship
switch focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
automatic focus
a system in a camera which automatically adjusts the lens so that the object being photographed is in focus , often one using infrared light to estimate the distance of the object from the camera
increased focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
maintain focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
out-of-focus
If an image or a camera , telescope , or other instrument is out of focus , the edges of what you see are unclear .
principal focus
the point on the axis of a lens or mirror to which parallel rays of light converge or from which they appear to diverge after refraction or reflection
depth of focus
the amount by which the distance between the camera lens and the film can be altered without the resulting image appearing blurred
particular focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
become the focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
focus energy on
Your energies are your efforts and attention , which you can direct towards a particular aim .
soft-focus lens
a lens designed to produce an image that is uniformly very slightly out of focus : typically used for portrait work
autofocus
a device that focuses a lens , camera , etc. automatically
single-minded focus
The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
photorealism
a style of painting and sculpture that depicts esp commonplace urban images with meticulously accurate detail