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focus

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verb

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of focus
Noun
By Jones is a writer with a strong focus on health, parenting, disability, and feminism. Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 4 June 2025 Expert Insight Jo Hayes, an etiquette specialist with a background in speech-language pathology and a focus on social-language trends, told Newsweek that Tonne is tapping into a real shift. Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 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
  • Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukrainian urban centers in recent days, and despite Washington urging negotiations, both sides seem as far as ever from progress toward a peace deal, analysts said.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 13 June 2025
Noun
  • Don’t be afraid to dive into the unknown; let your heart’s desires be your compass.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 27 May 2025
  • From that point the Porcupine flows about 430 miles to join the Yukon… The compass always hung around my neck, beneath binoculars, and a 35-mm camera.
    Alann B. Steen, Outdoor Life, 21 May 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
  • With more than 300 employees and offices in California, Illinois, Florida, and India — as well as regional hubs in New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Arizona — IDIQ continues to scale its reach while staying rooted in its original vision.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 4 June 2025
  • Known for its poultry slaughterhouses, Gainesville is now a manufacturing hub where startups can find engineers and greenfield sites.
    Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 3 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
  • This would entail Lopez heading to the English capital and Christopher Nkunku travelling in the opposite direction to its Catalan counterpart.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • Perhaps most importantly, the Yankees wouldn't have to give up much prospect capital to add him.
    Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
  • When employee voices lead, credibility flows through existing social capital—creating influence that brand channels can’t match.
    Brittany Garlin, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • The unusually large influx of immigrants in detention meant a backlog was created at the office in Burlington, causing people arrested on an immigration violation to be held for days in a facility unequipped for the purpose, according to lawyers for the detainees.
    Ben Adler, USA Today, 14 June 2025
  • 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
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

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Cite this Entry

“Focus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/focus. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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