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
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2
as in compass
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle
a wildlife conservation organization that seems to have lost its focus
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of focus
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 10 May 2025
The focus will be on who held the power in the relationship.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2025
Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 12 May 2025
On Monday evening, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to rule out the possibility of discussions on the water treaty, saying any talks with Pakistan would focus only on Kashmir and terrorism.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for focus
Noun
The White House said President Donald Trump fired the first Black woman to run the Library of Congress over his concerns about her focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 10 May 2025
The focus will be on who held the power in the relationship.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2025
Verb
Her academic load is significant, and at various times, my wife and I have discussed with her the idea of scaling back her work to focus on school.
—Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 12 May 2025
On Monday evening, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to rule out the possibility of discussions on the water treaty, saying any talks with Pakistan would focus only on Kashmir and terrorism.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for focus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for focus
Noun
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Installing new modern hardware and software for all air traffic facilities to create a common platform system throughout towers, TRACONs and centers.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
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As the climate heats up, soils dry up, more people move to coastal urban centers, and more water is used for industrial and agricultural purposes, desalination will only become more important.—
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Inside a self care mindset, taking a pause to find your own inner compass is the key to navigating the future of work.—
Chris Westfall,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
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And he’s got a really good compass of what needs to happen in the moment.—
Justin Curto,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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However, after concentrating on attacking areas in last summer’s big splash on nine new signings, an injection of pace at the other end will assist Hurzeler’s desire to defend with a high line.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
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Instead of concentrating solely on strategies to achieve your goals, focus on what your ideal mental space will look like when these changes occur.—
Essence,
Essence,
1 May 2025
Noun
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Indeed, ad commitments to streaming video hubs rose a noticeable 35.3%, hiking to $11.1 billion from $8.2 billion in 2023’s market.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
11 May 2025
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The surrounding Granary District, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Salt Lake, was once an industrial and manufacturing hub.—
Carley Thornell,
Travel + Leisure,
11 May 2025
Noun
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Despite some conflicts over the direction the church should take, most experts don't expect the conclave to stretch beyond a few days.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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In addition, objects from the Kuiper Belt orbit in the opposite direction from everything else in the solar system, according to NASA.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
2 May 2025
Noun
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The home is in the central part of the state about 70 miles west of Lincoln, the state capital.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
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The fixture list added further intrigue to that race, Atalanta facing Roma on Monday evening while Juve headed to the Italian capital on Saturday evening to take on a Lazio side that was on a six-game unbeaten run.—
Adam Digby,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Noun
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His purpose was to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the genocide and advocate for the release of 23 hostages detained in Azerbaijan.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
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Nothing quite represents a club’s identity like the crest; that is its purpose by definition.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
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From a pastel mecca of makeup, to decadent chocolate dim sum-and even where to score coveted Sonny Angels-these are the spots sure to please the hard-to-shop-for tween in your life.—
Bea McMonagle,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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The big picture: The nonprofit Cobbs Creek Foundation is in the midst of a massive $175 million restoration project that aims to transform the course into a golfing mecca for the region.—
Mike D'Onofrio,
Axios,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Focus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/focus. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
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