From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfocusfo‧cus1 /ˈfəʊkəs $ ˈfoʊ-/ ●●○ S3 W2 AWL verb (focused or focussed, focusing or focussing) 1 give attention to something [intransitive, transitive]ATTENTION to give special attention to one particular person or thing, or to make people do this SYN concentratefocus on He needs to focus more on his career.focus your attention/mind/efforts on something She tried to focus her mind on her work.focus (somebody’s) mind/attention (on something) (=make people give their attention to something) We need to focus public attention on this issue.GrammarYou say: We focused on two main issues. ✗Don’t say: We focused in two main issues.2 camera/telescope [intransitive, transitive]HPO to point a camera or telescope at something, and change the controls slightly so that you can see that thing clearlyfocus on She turned the camera and focussed on Martin’s face.focus something on something He focused his binoculars on the building opposite.3 eyes [intransitive, transitive]HPOHBA if your eyes focus, or if you focus your eyes, you look at something and can see it clearlyfocus on All eyes focussed on her. His eyes were focussed straight ahead.4 light [transitive]HPO if you focus beams of light, you aim them onto a particular place→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
focus• It took a long time to focus and get rid of the swimming water.• Any work undertaken on an individual basis should always focus attention on the broader social context in which the individual lives.• By which is meant that they have developed their ability to focus both senses and mind upon a thought process.• He stared out the window for a moment, trying to focus his thoughts.• It warns policymakers not to get tangled up with averages but to focus instead on increments.• The companies Uunet and Digex, for example, have dropped consumers to focus on business markets.• At least, he said, he could focus on his other math class.• Research will focus on the people living in the estates in east Middlesbrough.• In the way that you use a camera, you can focus your mind either on positive or negative factors.focus (somebody’s) mind/attention (on something)• Eating behaviour is disturbed and must be the focus of explicit attention.• It is as if within the wider panorama particular topics become a focus of especial attention.• The truth was that by 1988 the television audience had entirely replaced the convention delegates as the focus of attention.• In the way that you use a camera, you can focus your mind either on positive or negative factors.• I believe that the focus of attention is shifting from curriculum content to how best to teach science.• The firm eventually settled on a strategy of attempting to focus public attention on its superior sales staff and customer service.• These might well involve those selective-attention circuits passing through the left thalamus that focus attention on verbal information such as object names.• Where absenteeism does become a focus of management attention, there are very tangible improvements.focusfocus2 ●●○ S3 W2 AWL noun 1 [singular]SUBJECT 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]ESPECIALLY if your focus is on something, that is the thing you are giving most attention tofocus on Our main focus is on helping people get back into work. a shift of focus3 → come into focus/bring something into focus4 → in focus/out of focus5 [uncountable] the clearness of the picture seen through an instrument such as a camera He raised his binoculars and adjusted the focus.COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2adjectivesthe main focusThe main focus of our attention will be on providing an efficient service.the central focus (=most important)The film’s central focus is the relationship between the two women.the primary focus (=main or most important)The economic situation is likely to be the primary focus of the discussion.verbsbecome the focusWhen you give a talk you become the focus of attention.provide a focusThe church provided a focus for the community.change the focus He changed the focus from general to specific issues.shift the focus (=move it to something else)Opposition MPs accused the prime minister of trying to shift the focus onto other issues.the focus changes/shiftsThe focus of the negotiations shifted to working conditions.phrasesthe focus is on somethingThe focus is now on improving students’ communication skills.the focus of attentionIn this section of the talk the focus of attention will be on statistics.a focus of interestAnimal behaviour has long been a focus of interest for scientists.the focus of debate (=the thing which people are discussing)The strike became the focus of debate in the media.the focus of concern (=the thing which people are worried about)The spread of the disease has become the main focus of concern.a change/shift in focusOver the years, there has been a change of focus from treatment to prevention. Examples from the Corpus
focus• The science needed a change of direction, a new focus.• Our focus, they say, should henceforth be directed to the secondary years.• And this, too, was a consequence of sheer experience and of the pedagogical focus.• The play made David and his anguish the primary focus.• The powers that be were not interested in continuing that serious focus on the black experience.• The organization has a simple focus - keeping kids in school.• Three of the company of eight are in wheelchairs - but the focus is always on dance, not disability.• Just for once, let's keep the focus on it.• The focus of the drama shifts to discovering the dangers, and weighing up pros and cons of using the magic carpet.became the focus for• The symbolic resonance of the work altered as the killings at Kent State became the focus for anti-war activism.shift of focus• A deliberate shift of focus for health promotion could encourage people in their 20s to give up smoking.• Concern about death and the circumstances in which it will occur increases the shift of focus to security goals.From Longman Business Dictionaryfocusfo‧cus /ˈfəʊkəsˈfoʊ-/ noun [uncountable]MARKETING when a company tries to serve particular groups of customers in a market with particular needs, rather than trying to serve the whole market —focuser noun [countable]The focuser seeks to achieve a competitive advantage in its target segments even though it does not possess a competitive advantage overall.Origin focus1 (1600-1700) Latin “hearth (= place for a fire in a house)” 