focus

Plural: foci, focuses, focusses

Noun

• A central point of attention, activity, or convergence.
• the concentration of attention or energy on something
  • "the focus of activity shifted to molecular biology"
• maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system
  • "in focus"
  • "out of focus"
• maximum clarity or distinctness of an idea
  • "the controversy brought clearly into focus an important difference of opinion"
• a central point or locus of an infection in an organism
  • "the focus of infection"
• special emphasis attached to something
• a point of convergence of light (or other radiation) or a point from which it diverges
• a fixed reference point on the concave side of a conic section
• A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.
• A point of a conic at which rays reflected from a curve or surface converge.
• The fact of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.
• The quality of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.
• Concentration of attention.
• Something to which activity, attention or interest is primarily directed.
• The exact point of where an earthquake occurs, in three dimensions (underneath the epicentre).
• The status of being the currently active element in a user interface, often indicated by a visual highlight.
• The most important word or phrase in a sentence or passage, or the one that imparts information.
• An object used in casting a magic spell.
• The centre of an older fish's scale, which is the point where a younger fish's scale starts to grow from.

Verb

Verb Forms: focused, focusing, focuses, focussing, focusses

• To direct attention or efforts toward a specific point.
• direct one's attention on something
  • "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies"
• cause to converge on or toward a central point
  • "Focus the light on this image"
• bring into focus or alignment; to converge or cause to converge; of ideas or emotions
• become focussed or come into focus
  • "The light focused"
• put (an image) into focus
  • "Please focus the image; we cannot enjoy the movie"
• To cause (rays of light, etc) to converge at a single point.
• To adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane.
• To adjust itself or be adjusted such that light from a scene converges appropriately to create a clear image.
• To direct attention, effort, or energy to a particular audience or task.
• To concentrate one’s attention.
• To concentrate one's attention on something; to have as one's central point of interest, concern, etc.
• To transfer the input focus to (a visual element), so that it receives subsequent input.
• To aggregate figures of accounts.

Examples

• During this scene, the boy’s face shifts subtly from soft focus into sharp focus.
• I believe I can bring the high degree of focus required for this important job.
• I can't get the lens to focus.
• I have to focus on my work.
• If you're going to beat your competitors, you need to focus.
• Maintaining a clear focus on the board is crucial for Scrabble success.
• My studies are my main focus right now.
• She tried to focus on her tiles, despite the distracting chatter.
• Text entered at the keyboard or pasted from a clipboard is sent to the component which currently has the focus.
• The camera focuses automatically on the subject's eyes.
• The earthquake's focus was at exactly 37 degrees north, 18 degrees south, seventy five meters below the ground.
• The heat of sunlight at the focus of a magnifying glass can easily set dry leaves on fire.
• The president focused her remarks on the newcomers.
• The text box won't receive the user's keystrokes unless you explicitly focus it.
• Unfortunately, the license plate is out of focus in this image.
• You'll need to focus the microscope carefully in order to capture the full detail of this surface.

Synonyms

center, centering, centre, concenter, concentrate, concentre, direction, focal point, focalise, focalize, focusing, focussing, nidus, pore, rivet, sharpen, stress, adhere, align, anchor, apply, attend, base, direct, engage, fixate, hone, point

Antonyms

blur, defocus, dilute, ignore, muddy

Related Words

focal