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focus on — to give most of your attention to one particular person, subject, or thing

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: to give most of your attention to one particular person, subject, or thing

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈfoʊkəs ɑːn/

Example Sentences

  • I tried to focus on my homework, but my phone kept buzzing like an angry bee.
  • Please focus on the teacher instead of drawing cartoons in your notebook.
  • To succeed in the CSAT, you must focus on time management.

focus on

VERB

[/ˈfoʊkəs ɑːn/]

to give most of your attention to one particular person, subject, or thing

The astronomer decides to focus on one distant star tonight.
💡 Concept

The astronomer decides to focus on one distant star tonight.

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈfoʊkəs ɑːn/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈfəʊkəs ɒn/

🌳Etymology

Rootfocus

Origin

The word 'focus' derives from Latin 'focus', meaning a hearth or fireplace where fire burned as the central point. In ancient Roman households, the hearth served as the domestic center where family members gathered for warmth. The term later expanded in optics to denote the point where light converges, and subsequently developed its modern metaphorical sense of concentrating attention or mental effort on a particular subject.

Breakdown

focus (Latin: hearth, central gathering point) + on (preposition: upon, toward). The combination suggests concentrating or directing attention toward a specific target or subject.

🎵Rhyme

locus on
hocus-pocus on

🔗Collocations

focus on the task
focus on details
focus on studying
focus on the main idea
focus on your goals
focus on what matters
help you focus on

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“I tried to focus on my homework, but my phone kept buzzing like an angry bee.”

😄 Fun example

“Please focus on the teacher instead of drawing cartoons in your notebook.”

“To succeed in the CSAT, you must focus on time management.”

“She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing before the big test.”

😄 Fun example

“My cat refuses to focus on anything except the red laser dot.”

📚Related Words

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