focus

II. focus² S3 W2 AC BrE AmE noun
1. [singular] the thing, person, situation etc that people pay special attention to ⇨ focal:
The focus of recent research has been on environmental issues.
focus of
The war in Afghanistan had become the focus of media attention.
The focus of interest in the series is what goes on in everyday life.
Another focus of feminist debate has been the film industry.
I shall now turn to the main focus of this essay.
Eggs became the focus for the food poisoning scare.
The focus of the conference shifted from population growth to the education of women.
2. [uncountable] if your focus is on something, that is the thing you are giving most attention to
focus on
Our main focus is on helping people get back into work.
a shift of focus
3. come into focus/bring something into focus if something comes into focus, or you bring it into focus, people start to talk about it and pay attention to it:
These issues have recently come into sharp focus (=people have started to talk about them a lot).
4. in focus/out of focus if a photograph or an instrument such as a camera is in focus, you can see the picture clearly. If it is out of focus, you cannot see the picture clearly.
5. [uncountable] the clearness of the picture seen through an instrument such as a camera:
He raised his binoculars and adjusted the focus.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

noun (pl. fo·cuses or foci [ˈfəʊsaɪ] ; [ˈfoʊsaɪ] )
1. uncountable, countable, usually singular the thing or person that people are most interested in; the act of paying special attention to sth and making people interested in it
• It was the main focus of attention at the meeting.
• ~ for sth His comments provided a focus for debate.
• ~ on sth 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.

• What we need now is a change of focus (= to look at things in a different way).

2. uncountable a point or distance at which the outline of an object is clearly seen by the eye or through a lens
• The children's faces are badly out of focus (= not clearly shown) in the photograph.

• The binoculars were not in focus (= were not showing things clearly).

3. (also ˈfocal 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

4. countable (geology) the point at which an earthquake starts to happen
Word Origin:
mid 17th cent. (as a term in geometry and physics): from Latin, literally domestic hearth.
Thesaurus:
focus noun U, C, usually sing.
• His comments provided a focus for debate.
focal point • • hub • • heart • |BrE centre • |AmE center •
an important focus/focal point/hub
act/serve as a focus/focal point/centre
give sth/provide a focus/focal point
Example Bank:
• Cities have always acted as the principal focus of political life.
• He found he was now their main focus of attention.
• I found the focus of the debate too narrow.
• I've directed my focus towards/toward developing my skills.
• Our primary focus this term will be on group work.
• She became a focus for all his anger.
• The binoculars were not in focus.
• The children's faces are badly out of focus in the photograph.
• The company's restructuring is designed to give a sharper focus on key growth markets.
• The focus has now shifted towards the problem of long-term unemployment.
• The legal team tried to shift the focus onto the victim.
• The media focus has now shifted onto something else.
• 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.
• This case has brought the problem of drug abuse in schools into sharp focus.
• When I got glasses suddenly the whole world came into focus.
• an increased focus on younger people
• soft focus shots of cuddly animals
• the focus of my research
• In today's lecture the focus will be on tax structures within the European Union.

• What we need now is a change of focus.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

focus / ˈfəʊ.kəs / / ˈfoʊ- / noun [ C ] ( plural focuses or formal foci ) (CENTRE)

C1 the main or central point of something, especially of attention or interest:

I think Dave likes to be the focus of attention .

The main focus of interest at the fashion show was Christian Lacroix's outrageous evening wear.

The media focus on politicians' private lives inevitably switches the attention away from the real issues.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

focus

[fo͟ʊsaɪ]
♦♦
focuses, focusing, focused
(The spellings focusses, focussing, focussed are also used. The plural of the noun can be either foci or focuses.)
1) V-ERG If you focus on a particular topic or if your attention is focused on it, you concentrate on it and think about it, discuss it, or deal with it, rather than dealing with other topics.
  [V on n] The research effort has focused on tracing the effects of growing levels of five compounds...
  [V on n] He is currently focusing on assessment and development...
  [V n on n] Today he was able to focus his message exclusively on the economy...
  [V n on n] Many of the papers focus their attention on the controversy surrounding statements reportedly made by the Foreign Secretary.
  Syn:
  concentrate
2) N-COUNT: usu sing, usu with supp The focus of something is the main topic or main thing that it is concerned with.
  The UN's role in promoting peace is increasingly the focus of international attention...
  The new system is the focus of controversy...
  Her children are the main focus of her life.
3) N-COUNT: usu sing, usu with supp, oft N on n Your focus on something is the special attention that you pay it.
  He said his sudden focus on foreign policy was not motivated by presidential politics...
  The report's focus is on how technology affects human life rather than business...
  IBM has also shifted its focus from mainframes to personal computers.
4) N-UNCOUNT If you say that something has a focus, you mean that you can see a purpose in it.
  Somehow, though, their latest LP has a focus that the others have lacked...
  Suddenly all of the bizarre and seemingly isolated examples took on a meaningful focus.
5) V-ERG If you focus your eyes or if your eyes focus, your eyes adjust so that you can clearly see the thing that you want to look at. If you focus a camera, telescope, or other instrument, you adjust it so that you can see clearly through it.
  [V n] Kelly couldn't focus his eyes well enough to tell if the figure was male or female...
  [V on n] His eyes slowly began to focus on what looked like a small dark ball...
  [V n on n] He found the binoculars and focused them on the boat...
  [V-ed] Had she kept the camera focused on the river bank she might have captured a vital scene. [Also V]
6) N-UNCOUNT You use focus to refer to the fact of adjusting your eyes or a camera, telescope, or other instrument, and to the degree to which you can see clearly.
  His focus switched to the little white ball...
  Together these factors determine the depth of focus...
  It has no manual focus facility.
7) VERB If you focus rays of light on a particular point, you pass them through a lens or reflect them from a mirror so that they meet at that point.
  [V n prep] Magnetic coils focus the electron beams into fine spots.
8) N-COUNT The focus of a number of rays or lines is the point at which they meet. [TECHNICAL]
9) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If an image or a camera, telescope, or other instrument is in focus, the edges of what you see are clear and sharp.
  Pictures should be in focus, with realistic colours and well composed groups.
  Ant:
  out of focus
10) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If something is in focus, it is being discussed or its purpose and nature are clear.
  This aggression is the real issue the world should be concerned about. We want to keep that in focus...
  These issues were brought into sharp focus by the Gulf crisis.
  Ant:
  out of focus
11) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If an image or a camera, telescope, or other instrument is out of focus, the edges of what you see are unclear.
  In some of the pictures the subjects are out of focus while the background is sharp.
  ...a lot of out-of-focus photographs.
  Ant:
  in focus
12) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If something is out of focus, it is not being discussed or its purpose or nature is not clear.
  The deficit in the US balance of payments put these considerations out of focus...
  The movement towards democracy in Latin America and the foreign debt problems that have plagued it have gone out of focus.
  Ant:
  in focus

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹fo·cus

1 a : a point at which rays (as of light, heat, or sound) converge or from which they diverge or appear to diverge specifically : the point where the geometrical lines or their prolongations conforming to the rays diverging from or converging toward another point intersect and give rise to an image after reflection by a mirror or refraction by a lens or optical system b : a point of convergence of a beam of particles (as electrons)
2 a : FOCAL LENGTH b : adjustment for distinct vision also : the area that may be seen distinctly or resolved into a clear image c : a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding <tried to bring the issues into focus> d : DIRECTION 6C <the team lost focus>
3 : one of the fixed points that with the corresponding directrix defines a conic section
4 : a localized area of disease or the chief site of a generalized disease or infection
5 a : a center of activity, attraction, or attention <the focus of the meeting was drug abuse> b : a point of concentration
6 : the place of origin of an earthquake or moonquake
7 : directed attention : EMPHASIS
–fo·cus·less \-ləs\ adjective
–in focus : having or giving the proper sharpness of outline due to good focusing
–out of focus : not in focus