focal point
Americannoun
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focal points
plural
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Also called principal focus. Optics. either of two points on the axis of a mirror, lens, or other optical system, one point being such that rays diverging from it are deviated parallel to the axis upon refraction or reflection by the system and the other point being such that rays parallel to the axis of the system converge to the point upon refraction or reflection by the system.
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the point at which all elements or aspects converge; center of activity or attention.
The focal point of our discussion was the need for action.
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the central or principal point of focus.
noun
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Also called: principal focus, 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
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a central point of attention or interest
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The point at which all radiation coming from a single direction and passing through a lens or striking a mirror converges.
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Also called focus
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of focal point
First recorded in 1705–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The two-time scoring champion is coming off 33.5 points per game last season and was the focal point for the franchise’s offseason of change.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
“The perceived unique feature of FSD is the significant focal point now in their auto business,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
These complex and lengthy logs are the focal point of ongoing investigations into how and why the bots at OpenAI broke out of their containment and went on an uncontrollable hacking spree.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
"This has really been the focal point of the British Bangladeshi community," local councillor Faysal Ahmed told AFP, recalling a time when his parents ran a restaurant beneath his childhood home in the Lane.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
The book continues to be the focal point of study and debate by scholars and was once described by Martin Luther King Jr. as the “historical bible of the Civil Rights Movement.”
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
