as in to concentrate
to fix (as one's attention) steadily toward a central objective
try to focus your attention on the task at hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
in the 19th century Paris was the focus of the art world
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in compass
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
a wildlife conservation organization that seems to have lost its focus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of focus
Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Porter focused on cutting bureaucracy, calling for a single statewide development permit to streamline approvals and reduce delays.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
Counter-drone systems were another major focus, with Chinese companies displaying technologies designed to detect, disrupt and neutralise hostile unmanned aircraft.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for focus
Verb
Redick focuses fully on each one at a time.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026
Porter focused on cutting bureaucracy, calling for a single statewide development permit to streamline approvals and reduce delays.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Noun
Smith believes the willingness of star players such as Wilson and Swanson — and before them, Alex Morgan and Manchester United’s Hannah Blundell — has brought important focus to the issue of motherhood in soccer.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
Counter-drone systems were another major focus, with Chinese companies displaying technologies designed to detect, disrupt and neutralise hostile unmanned aircraft.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for focus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for focus
Verb
-
The new defaults were concentrated among older borrowers, those in Southern states and people who were not behind on their federal student loans before the pandemic, the researchers wrote.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
-
Wide-ranging and unpredictable symptoms can disrupt a menopausal woman’s ability to concentrate and execute tasks at work.—
Shirley Velasquez,
Flow Space,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
But Patrick Mahomes, who tore his ACL last December, is ahead of schedule and will likely be under center when these two teams square off in early November.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
The tension spilled into election issues, including accusations that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco seized ballots in a voter‑fraud investigation, now at the center of a legal fight with the state attorney general.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Its only compass is artistic excellence.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
12 May 2026
-
As for steering a buggy to the Artemis base, compasses don’t work on the moon, and dust will adhere to optics, so NASA has pioneered plans to use Earth’s Galileo and GPS satellites to navigate.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Travellers flying in or out of the hub ogled the spectacle, a display of sudden corporate collapse.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
His own aspirations have pulled him in several directions.—
Alex Barasch,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
The team used high-resolution satellite images taken before and after the event to reconstruct the shape and geometry of the slide, as well as its axis and direction.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, Anthropic argued that the US still holds several major advantages, including stronger chip ecosystems, leading AI companies, and broader access to capital for large-scale AI infrastructure.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
-
Legislation in Louisiana seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling by scrapping a district that snakes over 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest from the capital, Baton Rouge, to Shreveport, creating a voting bloc with a majority of Black residents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
For all intents and purposes, the bulk of the offseason acquisition for the Dallas Cowboys is wrapped up.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 May 2026
-
The board’s ouster comes amid a purge of independent scientific and research groups whose purpose is to advise the federal government’s science and health policies.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Once regarded as a mecca for luxury shopping, drawing visitors from across Chicagoland to experience a level of polish few suburban malls could hope to surpass, Northbrook Court today is something akin to a retail wasteland.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Houston is a mecca for high-calorie delicious meals.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Focus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/focus. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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