focus (something) on someone/something

focus | American Dictionary

focus
noun
us/ˈfoʊ·kəs/pluralfocuses or focius/ˈfoʊ·sɑɪ, -kɑɪ/

focusnoun (MAIN OBJECT)

[ C ](alsofocal point)
the main object or interest, or the attention given something:
The focus of attention has shifted from the economy to improving the public schools.
State officials urge continued focus on mosquito control.

focusnoun (POSITION)

[ C/U ] physics
the exact place or position where beams of light, heat, or sound meet after moving toward each other; focal point
[ C/U ] earth science
A focus is also the exact position inside the earth where an earthquake begins.
 in focus(alsoout of focus)
A photograph or an image seen through a device with a lens, such as a microscope, telescope, or camera, that is in focus is clear and one that is out of focus is not clear.
focus
verb[ I/T ]
us/ˈfoʊ·kəs/

focusverb[I/T] (DIRECT ATTENTION)

to direct attention toward something or someone:
[ I ]Tonight’s program focuses on homelessness.

focusverb[I/T] (ADJUST)

to adjust something in order to see more clearly:
[ T ]I focused the binoculars on the bird on a branch of the tree.

focus | Business English

focus
noun[ C ]
uk /ˈfəʊkəs/uspluralfocuses | formalfoci
[ C ]
the central or most important thing for a company or organization:
the main/primary/principal focus of sb/sthThe primary focus of a manager is on efficiency.
turn/switch/shift the focus from sth to sthA bonus-based incentive system shifts the focus from the behavior of sales people to the results they deliver.
focus on sthThe company's Five-Year Plan continues the dual focus on use and production.
[ U ]
the act of giving attention to a particular group of customers or a particular activity:
The restructuring was aimed at establishing real customer focus throughout the organization.
[ U ]
the ability to give all your attention, time, and energy to a particular activity:
The enquiry concluded that the failure to address the issue beforehand was the result of a lack of focus and drive by the board.
focus
verb[ I or T ]
uk /ˈfəʊkəs/us-s- or -ss-
to give a lot of attention, time, energy, etc. to one particular group of customers or a particular activity:
focus on sthThe company's chief executive is moving to a new corporate headquarters in Dubai to focus on business in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia.
focus attention/efforts/resources on sthWe shall continue to focus our efforts on cutting costs.
focus entirely/exclusively/mainly on sthBy the age of 30, he had decided to focus almost exclusively on corporate work.

Examples of focus

focus
The second part of the questionnaire focused on current use of aspirin and knowledge about the reasons for its use.
The following discussion is based on previous studies focusing on cancer.
Since the interview schedule focused on information and clinical evidence needs it is not surprising that these are reflected in the study findings.
Therefore, the proposed method just focuses on generating an enclosed ellopsoid, which is as large as possible, to fit the polyhedron tightly.
In any case, we are not focusing on that issue.
Research and review papers focusing on all the above-mentioned topics, including epidemiology, diagnostic screening, assessment, management, and intervention drug and psychotherapy trials, will also appear.
Endozoites were not observed within inflammatory foci or elsewhere in the brain.
Demyelination and axonopathy were observed only within inflammatory foci.
Scientists recognize that the biology of annuals is focused by the need to produce seed for the next generation.
Second, most research has focused on what governments do: they attract capital, they respond to the pressure of international competition, and they cooperate.
There follows a chapter focusing on the meaning of trauma and its impact on an individual's sense of identity.
Last, the reforms focused on how the constrained resources available to the health sector could be more efficiently used.
Later on the meetings focussed on individual patients.
Much of the relevant literature focuses on the first of these issues to the exclusion of the second.
However, 4.1 focuses on issues of grammatical theory, ones of importance to syntax.
See all examples of focus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations withfocus

focus

These are words often used in combination with focus.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

attentional focus
The second type of construal important to the argument of this article concerns selection of attentionalfocus, which makes certain aspects of meanings salient.
central focus
However, if memorywork is the centralfocus for the oral history interviewer, then the relationship between interviewer and interviewee needs to be unpacked more carefully.
dual focus
In fact cultural studies, well-known for its theoretical eclecticism, has inherited its dualfocus (formal and political) on representation from these and many other sources.
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
See all collocations with focus