focus on

Meanings

1. 1verbphrasal verb

   To direct your attention, effort, or energy toward one particular thing and not spread it across others.

   Grammar: Needs an object after on; a noun or an -ing form works: focus on the budget, focus on saving money.

   Patterns

   • focus on something
   • focus on doing something
   • focus your attention on something

   During exam week I only focus on the subjects I find hardest.

   She turned off her phone so she could focus on writing.

   The coach wants the team to focus on defense this season.

2. 2verbphrasal verb

   To make a book, report, lesson, or discussion deal mainly with one subject or aspect.

   Grammar: The subject is usually a piece of work, not a person: the article focuses on housing.

   Patterns

   • something focuses on something

   The documentary focuses on the lives of migrant farm workers.

   Today's lesson will focus on irregular verbs.

   Her research focuses on how children learn to read.

Word forms

Common combinations

focus on the task at hand

Try to focus on the task at hand instead of worrying about next week.

focus solely on

He decided to focus solely on his studies for a year.

shift focus on to

After the meeting, the discussion shifted its focus on to costs.

focus on the positive

When things go badly, it helps to focus on the positive.

focus primarily on

The museum focuses primarily on local history.

Synonyms and how they differ

concentrate on

Concentrate on stresses mental effort over a stretch of time, while focus on sounds slightly more like choosing one target among several.

center on

Center on is common for topics and themes of a text or event, and is less natural for a person deciding where to put their attention.

zero in on

Zero in on is informal and suggests a quick, precise move toward a specific point, which focus on does not necessarily imply.

home in on

Home in on suggests steadily approaching and finding an exact target, often a problem or a detail, rather than simply choosing a priority.

Opposites

Word family

focus noun

the central point of attention or interest

focused adjective

paying close attention to a clear aim

focal adjective

central, like a point everything gathers around

refocus verb

to direct attention to something new or again

unfocused adjective

lacking clear direction or attention

Commonly confused: focus on or focus in on?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “focus on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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