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
Relevance
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
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of focus
S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
At the moment, the Heat’s roster focus has to be on the Heat.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2025
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 June 2025
Ara’s practice focuses on domestic and international transactions across entertainment, sports and media, representing clients in M&A and financing transactions including private-equity firms, investors, sovereigns, lenders and borrowers.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for focus
Noun
And a focus on an act does not remove the presence of an actor.
—S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
At the moment, the Heat’s roster focus has to be on the Heat.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2025
Verb
The training will focus on enhancing animation technique, speed, character performance, and expressivity—preparing participants to contribute to upcoming stop-motion feature productions.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 June 2025
Ara’s practice focuses on domestic and international transactions across entertainment, sports and media, representing clients in M&A and financing transactions including private-equity firms, investors, sovereigns, lenders and borrowers.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for focus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for focus
Noun
-
The shifting narratives reflect the anxiety of Angelenos amid ICE raids targeting immigrants at Home Depots, churches and retail centers.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
-
Colorado’s quest to find a consistent No. 2 center to deploy behind Nathan MacKinnon has been one of the defining roster storylines of the past three seasons.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
Consistency reassures your stakeholders that your compass has not changed, even if the landscape has.—
Eric Reicin,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
The compass is pointing straight north after a 10-win season, something felt in the huddle and on every snap with Nix.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 June 2025
Verb
-
Must be hard concentrating on work with all those Mauna Lani beach chairs beckoning.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
-
This magisterial work, greeted with greatest praise from its first volume and still seen as a landmark of historical writing, concentrated on the late seventeenth century.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
Shockley, for instance, worked at Bell Labs, a mid-century hub that invented the modern solar cell and the first portable operating system.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
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Demonstrations took place in hundreds of U.S. cities, according to Reuters, with large-scale gatherings reported in major hubs such as Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and New York.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
Noun
-
His regular-season numbers are astonishing, but so are his postseason stats… in the opposite direction.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
-
Holden praised Indicator, citing their focused direction and curation.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Haitians continue to flee poverty, hunger and political instability deepens while police and a U.N.-backed mission fight a surge in gang violence, with armed men controlling at least 85% of its capital, Port-au-Prince.—
Chris Megerian,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
-
To account for the value of oceans in decision making, researchers are pushing for countries to adopt what has become known as natural capital accounting.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
While these measures aim to increase efficiency and reduce unnecessary costs by eliminating administrative burdens, DEI may have served a crucial purpose in enhancing VA services to its underserved veteran communities.—
Cristina Johnson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2025
-
The vast majority of university endowments are restricted to specific purposes such as scholarships, professorships and other academic programs.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2025
Noun
-
The century-old hotel is famous for its Spanish colonial revival design, and longtime denizens still proudly reference its history as a mecca of Black music after World War II, when the likes of James Brown and Billie Holiday played its famous club.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
2 June 2025
-
Known as a mecca for watersports, everyone pauses to bask in the brilliant purples, pinks, and oranges that splash into the sky as the late afternoon transitions to evening.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Focus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/focus. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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