focus

verb

OPAL WOPAL S

/ˈfəʊkəs/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they focus	/ˈfəʊkəs/ /ˈfəʊkəs/
he / she / it focuses	/ˈfəʊkəsɪz/ /ˈfəʊkəsɪz/
he / she / it focusses	/ˈfəʊkəsɪz/ /ˈfəʊkəsɪz/
past simple focused	/ˈfəʊkəst/ /ˈfəʊkəst/
past participle focused	/ˈfəʊkəst/ /ˈfəʊkəst/
past simple focussed	/ˈfəʊkəst/ /ˈfəʊkəst/
past participle focussed	/ˈfəʊkəst/ /ˈfəʊkəst/
-ing form focusing	/ˈfəʊkəsɪŋ/ /ˈfəʊkəsɪŋ/
-ing form focussing	/ˈfəʊkəsɪŋ/ /ˈfəʊkəsɪŋ/

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[intransitive, transitive] to give attention, effort, etc. to one particular subject, situation or person rather than another
- She was distracted and finding it hard to focus.
- focus on/upon somebody/something The discussion focused on three main issues.
- Each exercise focuses on a different grammar point.
- focus + adv./prep. He had artistic interests but his teachers encouraged him to focus elsewhere.
- The essay seems too narrowly focused.
- focus something Music and crafts can help focus small children's energies.
- focus something on/upon somebody/something The visit helped to focus world attention on the plight of the refugees.
- (figurative) All eyes are focused on the presidential elections at the moment.
- (figurative) The event will focus the spotlight on younger athletes.
- focus something + adv./prep. We need to decide where to focus our efforts.
Extra Examples
- Come on, try to focus.
- Children with ADHD suffer from an inability to focus and concentrate.
- Degree courses have traditionally focused on the established great writers of the past.
- They plan to divest declining businesses and focus on growth areas.
- You might choose to focus on a particular aspect of the nineteenth century.
- Meetings focused on the development of the curriculum.
- He inevitably focused on his own concerns, with only a passing query about Jeff.
- Much recent concern has been focused upon sea level rises.
- The exhibition is focused primarily upon architecture.
- The exhibition primarily focuses upon architecture.
- Schools should not focus exclusively on exam results.
- The department undertakes highly focused research.
- The study was criticized for being too narrowly focused.
- My own research is focused on classical traditions.
- We have focused our resources on developing new products.
- Think of some questions that will help focus the discussion.
- This should help focus your attention.
- I was finding it hard to focus my mind properly.
- Perhaps your family is where you should focus your attention.
- Where do you really wish to focus your time and energy?
- Much of the debate was focused around the issue of inequality.
- He made a promise to his father and is determined to live his entire life focused towards that goal.
- A hate crime is abuse focused towards a specific person or group on grounds of race, religion, etc.
- You need to focus closely on the matter at hand.
- At the moment, aid agencies are focusing their efforts on women and children.
- The attention of the news media was firmly focused on the elections.
- Our activity is mainly focused on responding to emergencies.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- especially
- heavily
- largely
- …
verb + focus
- need to
- try to
- decide to
- …
preposition
- on
- upon
phrases
- highly focused
- tightly focused
- narrowly focused
- …
See full entry
[intransitive, transitive] (of your eyes, a camera, etc.) to adapt or be changed so that things can be seen clearly; to change something so that you can see things clearly
- It took a few moments for her eyes to focus in the dark.
- focus on somebody/something Let your eyes focus on objects that are further away from you.
- In this scene, the camera focuses on the actor's face.
- focus something ‘Look at me,’ he says, focusing the camera.
- focus something on somebody/something He focused his blue eyes on her.
- I quickly focused the camera on the children.
- focus something + adv./prep. My gaze was focused elsewhere at the time.
Extra Examples
- She blinked and tried to focus.
- The eye will automatically focus on the small group in the foreground.
- She could feel his eyes focusing on her.
- She could feel his eyes focused on her.
- He struggled to focus his eyes in the dimness.
- A newborn baby cannot focus its eyes.
- My eyes are focused on the horizon.
- Ten TV cameras were focused on the stage.
- She likes to focus her camera on the unusual and the surreal.
- So much of good film-making is just knowing where to focus your camera.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- hard
- intently
- automatically
- …
verb + focus
- try to
preposition
- on
- upon
See full entry
[transitive] to aim light onto a particular point using a lens
- focus something A laser focuses a beam of light.
- focus something on something She used her glasses to focus the sun's rays on the twigs and spark a fire.
[intransitive] focus on somebody/something (of a light) to shine on somebody/something
- Suddenly a spotlight focused on us.

Word Originmid 17th cent. (as a term in geometry and physics): from Latin, literally ‘domestic hearth’.

focus

noun

OPAL WOPAL S

/ˈfəʊkəs/

(plural focuses, foci

/ˈfəʊsaɪ/, /ˈfəʊkaɪ/

)

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[uncountable, countable, usually singular] the thing or person that people are most interested in; the act of paying special attention to something and making people interested in it
- focus of something It was the main focus of attention at the meeting.
- The primary focus of the book is practical teaching techniques.
- He decided to make colour the central focus of his work.
- focus for something His comments provided a focus for debate.
- focus on something We shall maintain our focus on the needs of the customer.
- In today's lecture the focus will be on tax structures within the European Union.
- The incident brought the problem of violence in schools into sharp focus.
- The film loses focus near the end.
- He began to shift his focus towards writing for the theatre.
- What we need now is a change of focus (= to look at things in a different way).
Extra Examples
- The article does not seem to have any clear focus.
- Cities have always acted as the principal focus of political life.
- His research interest is the environment, with a focus on the economics of climate change.
- Let's take the focus off her personal life and look at what she's achieved.
- I found the focus of the debate too narrow.
- A narrow focus on profits neglects the human angle.
- In her new book, she broadens her focus to include the entire history of Ireland.
- I've directed my focus towards developing my skills.
- Our primary focus this term will be on group work.
- The company's main focus is cheese.
- The film maintains an intense focus on the two central characters.
- She became a focus for all his anger.
- The focus has now shifted towards the problem of long-term unemployment.
- The legal team tried to switch the focus onto the victim.
- The problem with your plan is that it doesn't have a clear focus.
- The question of compensation comes into focus.
- The restructuring is designed to give a sharper focus on key markets.
- We've lost focus on the real objective: to save lives.
- The story loses focus a bit at the end.
- He was restless and lacked focus.
- We need to bring some discipline and focus to our efforts.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- central
- main
- major
- …
verb + focus
- act as
- become
- remain
- …
focus + verb
- be on somebody/something
- remain on somebody/something
- shift
- …
preposition
- focus for
- focus of
- focus on
- …
phrases
- a change of focus
- a shift of focus
- the focus of attention
- …
See full entry
[uncountable] a point or distance at which the outline of an object is clearly seen by the eye or through a lens
- out of focus Some parts of the photograph are out of focus (= blurred rather than clearly seen).
- into focus When I got glasses, suddenly the whole world came into focus.
- in focus The binoculars were not in focus (= were not showing things clearly).
- Her eyes lost focus and she fainted.
Extra Examples
- His photographs are badly out of focus.
- The figure in the film comes in and out of focus.
- He deliberately let his eyes go out of focus.
- If you look at it for a while the image comes into focus.
- Suddenly her face snaps into focus.
- They're not very good photos, but at least they're in focus.
- Try to get their faces in focus.
- If you set the image to full screen you sometimes lose the focus.
- He explains how to set up the camera and how to adjust the focus.
see also soft focus
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- sharp
- soft
verb + focus
- come into
preposition
- in focus
- out of focus
See full entry
(also focal point)
[countable] (physics) a point at which waves of light, sound, etc. meet after reflection or refraction; the point from which waves of light, sound, etc. seem to come
[countable] (geology) the point at which an earthquake starts to happenTopics The environmentc2

Word Originmid 17th cent. (as a term in geometry and physics): from Latin, literally ‘domestic hearth’.