focus

American  

[foh-kuhs] / ˈfoʊ kəs /

noun

• focuses,
  plural
• focusses,
  plural (especially British)
• foci
  plural (especially British)

1. a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity.

   The need to prevent a nuclear war became the focus of all diplomatic efforts.

   Synonyms:

   nucleus, core, heart, center

2. close attention or concentration.

   Some of the warning signs indicating you should pull over: drifting between lanes, repeated yawning, tailgating, and trouble maintaining focus.

3. the ability to concentrate one’s attention or to sustain concentration.

   Mindfulness and meditation are often suggested to help manage stress, increase awareness of emotions, and improve focus.

4. Physics. a point at which rays of light, heat, or other radiation meet after being refracted or reflected.

5. Optics.

   1. the focal point of a lens, on which rays converge or from which they deviate.

   2. the focal length of a lens; the distance from a focal point to a corresponding principal plane.

   3. the clear and sharply defined condition of an image.

   4. the position of a viewed object or the adjustment of an optical device necessary to produce a clear image.

      in focus; out of focus.

6. Geometry. (of a conic section) a point having the property that the distances from any point on a curve to it and to a fixed line have a constant ratio for all points on the curve.

7. Geology. the point of origin of an earthquake.

8. Pathology. the primary center from which a disease develops or in which it localizes.

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verb (used with object)

• focuses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• focused,
  past participle,  past
• focussed,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• focusing,
  present participle
• focussing
  present participle (especially British)

1. to bring to a focus or into focus; cause to converge on a perceived point.

   to focus the lens of a camera.

2. to concentrate.

   to focus one's thoughts;

   to focus troop deployment in the east.

verb (used without object)

• focuses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• focused,
  past participle,  past
• focussed,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• focusing,
  present participle
• focussing
  present participle (especially British)

1. to be or become focused.

   My eyes have trouble focusing on distant objects.

2. to direct one's attention or efforts.

   Students must focus in class.

focus British  

/ ˈfəʊkəs /

noun

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 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. pathol the main site of an infection or a localized region of diseased tissue

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verb

1. to bring or come to a focus or into focus

2. to fix attention (on); concentrate

focus Scientific  

/ fō′kəs /

1. The degree of clarity with which an eye or optical instrument produces an image.

2. See focal point

3. A central point or region, such as the point at which an earthquake starts.

4. Mathematics A fixed point or one of a pair of fixed points used in generating a curve such as an ellipse, parabola, or hyperbola.

5. The region of a localized bodily infection or disease.

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Usage

Where does focus come from? What does the word focus bring to your mind? Maybe you think of a photograph that is clear and sharply defined. Or perhaps you recall a teacher tsk-tsking you to pay attention in class. But what about a fireplace?Well, the word focus comes directly from the Latin focus, which meant “fireplace” or “hearth” (that is, the floor of a fireplace). This is what focus originally meant in English when the word entered the language around 1635–45, though that sense has been extinguished, as it were. But the word focus burned on in other ways. As the 1600s unfolded, focus was given new meanings in the great scientific literature of that age, which were largely written in what’s known as New Latin. In the 1650s, the influential English philosopher and author Thomas Hobbes used focus for a kind of fixed point in geometry. So did Isaac Newton—you know, of gravity fame—in the 1690s. Other applications of the word focus in the late 1600s came about in the fields of medicine and physics. In physics, a focus is “a point at which rays of light, heat, or other radiation meet after being refracted or reflected.” Perhaps you can imagine how a fireplace or a hearth—contained areas and sources of heat and light—was likened to such a point in math and science. Dig deeperThe word focus took on a number of senses in optics, specifically “the point on a lens on which rays converge or from which they deviate.” A more familiar sense of focus is “the clear and sharply defined condition of an image,” as when the image isn’t blurry. Optics has also given us the expressions in focus and out of focus, which can be used both literally and figuratively. From these various ideas of clarity and convergence in optics arises one of the more common, everyday ways we use the word focus today: “a central point, as a of attention, activity, or activity.” For example, Finding a cure for cancer was the focus of his long career. Focus also refers to ability to concentrate, as in The teacher felt the students struggled with their focus. These senses of focus had spread by the early 1800s, around when various verb forms of focus take off. The adjective form of focus is focal.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• focuser
  noun
• misfocus
  verb
• refocus
  verb
• overfocus
  verb (used with object)
• focusable
  adjective
• misfocused
  adjective
• misfocussed
  adjective
• self-focused
  adjective
• self-focusing
  adjective
• unfocusing
  adjective
• well-focused
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• foci
  plural
• focuses
  plural
• focusses
  plural

Participles

• focusing
  present
• focussing
  present
• focused
  past
• focussed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• focus
  simple
• focuses
  simple
• have focused
  perfect
• have focussed
  perfect
• has focused
  perfect
• has focussed
  perfect
• am focusing
  progressive
• am focussing
  progressive
• are focusing
  progressive
• are focussing
  progressive
• is focusing
  progressive
• is focussing
  progressive
• have been focusing
  perfect progressive
• have been focussing
  perfect progressive
• has been focusing
  perfect progressive
• has been focussing
  perfect progressive

Past

• focused
  simple
• focussed
  simple
• had focused
  perfect
• had focussed
  perfect
• was focusing
  progressive
• was focussing
  progressive
• were focusing
  progressive
• were focussing
  progressive
• had been focusing
  perfect progressive
• had been focussing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will focus
  simple
• will have focused
  perfect
• will have focussed
  perfect
• will be focusing
  progressive
• will be focussing
  progressive
• will have been focusing
  perfect progressive
• will have been focussing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of focus

First recorded in 1635–45; Latin: “fireplace, hearth”

Explanation

Focus is something that camera lenses and sleepy students are always being asked to do. For cameras, it means finding a point where the subject is clear or "in focus." For students, it means paying attention. Focus is all about finding a center — of a parabolic curve, of a lens, of a meditative state. In Latin, focus meant 'domestic hearth,' which just goes to show that not much has changed — since kitchens remain the focus of the modern home. Focus can be used as a verb, as in "I need to focus on my work, so I can play video games later;" and as a noun, as in "What is the focus of this essay? I can't tell, since the writer seems to be all over the place."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

focus foci focuses focusses focused focussed focusing focussing

Further context: Their coming stablecoin effort is intended to focus on commercial clients, the Journal reported, though use cases could vary by region and include retail markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Venice's focus this year on mostly small, art-house films appears to fit the bill for Susan Sarandon, who is appearing in the Italian film "The Echo Chamber" from director Andrea Pallaoro.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Jobs with high exposure tended to hinge on information analysis, while jobs with low scores tended to focus on manual work and direct interactions.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Retrofitting on certified aircraft lets the company focus exclusively on proving the autonomous system's safety rather than also having to seek approval for a new aircraft, says Robert Rose, its co-founder and CEO.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

“I think we should focus on the people who have telephone numbers,” Theo decides.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

The fasting mice had better blood values, less fatty liver and liver inflammation and above all: they developed less liver cancer and had fewer cancer foci in the liver.

From Science Daily ● May 7, 2024

One of the foci will be located at the origin.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

The line through the foci is called the transverse axis.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 23, 2020

A line drawn through the foci intersect the ellipse in two points.

From Textbooks ● May 6, 2020

Even therapeutic measures have the important result not only of curing the patient but of reducing the foci of infection.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Markey is a Boston-accented two-term senator who has made climate change one of his main legislative focuses.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

There are several popular renditions of “The Odyssey” written in prose, such as E. V. Rieu’s 1946 translation, which according to Penguin focuses on the clarity of the storytelling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

The research focuses on magnetite, a mineral that is abundant in Western Australia's huge iron ore deposits across the Pilbara region.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

“The ‘Iliad’ and the ‘Odyssey’ are full of well-made things,” he notes insightfully in a chapter, titled “Small Things,” that focuses on Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

He clicks the pen several times as he focuses on my chart.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

"The metallic tip acts like an antenna and focusses the electromagnetic field in a tiny area below its apex."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024

“This shocking news focusses our minds on Michael’s wife Clare and their sons,” said Roy Taylor, a professor of medicine and metabolism at Newcastle University who co-authored “The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet” with Mosley.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

This latest research focusses on how this happens at the structural level.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2023

The project in Devon focusses on restoring the existing woodlands to safeguard important plant and animal species, by:

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2023

A picture focusses into a few inches of space a whole drama of life and thought.

From Cobwebs of Thought by Arachne

It said: "Our thoughts are with Alex's family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time. We remain focused on supporting his family."

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

The adjoining barn on the property was transformed into a guesthouse, and Seyfried has focused on passing on her love for animals to her two children: Nina, 8, and Thomas, 5.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

The researchers focused on a process called DNA methylation, in which chemical tags or markers attach to DNA inside immune cells.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

Burnham has largely focused on domestic policy since taking over, but has also appeared eager to project his standing on the international stage, in particular maintaining London's support for Ukraine following Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

She’s off the machine now and trying to stay focused on inhaling, getting little sips of air.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

But that didn't stop its shares from surging nearly 10 percent on Thursday, as investors focussed on its profit outlook.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Pushing through this is definitely not easy, England stayed focussed, they stayed in the zone, a huge shout out to them because that's not an easy one.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

She said previous studies had focussed more on porpoises but the picture "remained unclear" for common dolphins.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

Aligned with the Value Jersey movement, his campaign focussed heavily on the cost of living on the island.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

“Partly on his interest being focussed on what he calls ‘the soul,’ which he persists in regarding as an entity independent of the physical environment, whereas, as I tried to point out to him ...”

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

The Chicago White Sox are in first place in their division after focusing on improving their bat speed during the offseason.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

For now, Piastri is under contract to the end of 2027 at least, and will be focusing only on getting back to where he knows he can be.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

U.S. oil executives are slated to return to the White House on Tuesday to meet with President Donald Trump, focusing in large part on reducing gasoline prices.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

He celebrates the Sabbath every week, shutting off his cellphone and focusing on his wife and three young children.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

It was a tale about focusing, about peeling away distractions one by one until all that was left was the target.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

It will also examine decision-making and risk assessment training, focussing on how officers are helped to make bias-free decisions and identify where immediate action like first aid is required.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

"As intervention is required, the government in making appropriate interventions but we're already focussing on keeping bills down."

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

As chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, he criticised the scheme for focussing on "process rather than outcomes".

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026

"So I'm just looking forward to focussing on medicine in the near future."

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

Occasionally, focussing on a linguistic alteration can mislead us into thinking that something important has happened when it hasn’t, or that something happened at a particular moment when it actually happened earlier.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• apply oneself to
• concentrate
• engage
• fixate
• pay attention to
• pore over