focus

noun

(uncountable) Concentration of attention.

(countable) Something to which activity, attention or interest is primarily directed.

(uncountable, photography, cinematography) The fact of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.

(uncountable, photography, cinematography) The quality of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.

(countable, optics) A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.

(countable, geometry) A point of a conic at which rays reflected from a curve or surface converge.

(countable, seismology) The exact point of where an earthquake occurs, in three dimensions (underneath the epicentre).

(graphical user interface) The status of being the currently active element in a user interface, often indicated by a visual highlight.

(linguistics) The most important word or phrase in a sentence or passage, or the one that imparts information.

(ichthyology) The centre of an older fish's scale, which is the point where a younger fish's scale starts to grow from.

An object used in casting a magic spell.

verb

(transitive) To direct attention, effort, or energy to a particular audience or task.

(intransitive) To concentrate one’s attention.

(intransitive, followed by on or upon) To concentrate one's attention on something; to have as one's central point of interest, concern, etc.

(transitive, optics) To adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane.

(intransitive, optics, of a lens, optical instrument, etc.) To adjust itself or be adjusted such that light from a scene converges appropriately to create a clear image.

(transitive) To cause (rays of light, etc) to converge at a single point.

(computing, graphical user interface, transitive) To transfer the input focus to (a visual element), so that it receives subsequent input.

(accounting, formerly) To aggregate figures of accounts.

Roots

focusfoc- · Latin · hearth, fireplace

Synonyms for focus

concenterv focalizev concentratev spotlightn concentrationn

Synonyms & related words for focus

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of focus — including concenter, focalize, concentrate, spotlight, concentration. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to focus

Explore words related to focus — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include refocus, focally, reconcentrate, centering, concentrative, focal, underemphasis, emphasis. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for focus

Common synonyms for focus include concenter, focalize, concentrate, spotlight, concentration — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does focus come from?

The word focus breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root foc-, from Latin focus (“hearth, fireplace”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.