focus

Meanings

Plural: foci, focuses, focusses

Noun

• 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

• 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.

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

blur, defocus, dilute, ignore, muddy

Related Words

focal