loses focus

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   Stops paying attention to what one is doing, especially when trying to concentrate.

   Grammar: No object is needed: 'She loses focus easily.' You can add 'on something': 'He loses focus on his work.'

   Patterns

   • loses focus
   • loses focus on something

   After an hour of studying, she loses focus and starts checking her phone.

   He loses focus when there is too much noise around him.

   The team loses focus in the second half of the game.

2. 2verbintransitivetechnical

   Becomes blurry or unclear, especially in photography or vision.

   Grammar: Used about cameras, images, or eyes. No object is needed.

   Patterns

   • loses focus
   • the image loses focus

   The camera loses focus when you move too quickly.

   His eyesight loses focus when he is tired.

Word forms

Common combinations

loses focus easily

He loses focus easily when he hasn't slept well.

loses focus on

She loses focus on her goals when she gets stressed.

quickly loses focus

The class quickly loses focus after lunch.

loses focus and

He loses focus and makes silly mistakes.

Synonyms and how they differ

gets distracted

'Gets distracted' emphasizes something outside pulling your attention away; 'loses focus' emphasizes your own attention fading.

zones out

'Zones out' is informal and means to stop paying attention completely, often without realizing it; 'loses focus' is more neutral and can be temporary.

Opposites

Word family

focus noun

The center of attention or interest; also the clear point in an image.

focused adjective

Paying close attention; also adjusted to give a clear image.

Commonly confused: loses focus or loose focus?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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