{
    "term": "focus",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "academic": true,
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a2",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "focus",
            "heSheIt": "focuses"
        },
        "pastSimple": "focused",
        "pastParticiple": "focused",
        "ingForm": "focusing"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to give attention, effort, etc. to one particular subject, situation or person rather than another",
            "sensetop": "focus on/upon somebody/somethingfocus + adv./prep.focus somethingfocus something on/upon somebody/somethingfocus something + adv./prep.",
            "labels": "(figurative)(figurative)",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She was distracted and finding it hard to focus."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The discussion **focused on** three main **issues**.",
                    "contextForm": "focus on/upon somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Each exercise focuses on a different grammar point."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He had artistic interests but his teachers encouraged him to focus elsewhere.",
                    "contextForm": "focus + adv./prep."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The essay seems too **narrowly focused**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Music and crafts can help **focus** small children's **energies**.",
                    "contextForm": "focus something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The visit helped to **focus** world **attention** on the plight of the refugees.",
                    "contextForm": "focus something on/upon somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "All eyes are focused on the presidential elections at the moment."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The event will focus the spotlight on younger athletes."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We need to decide where to **focus** our **efforts**.",
                    "contextForm": "focus something + adv./prep."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Come on, try to focus."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Children with ADHD find it difficult to focus and concentrate."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Degree courses have traditionally focused on the established great writers of the past."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They plan to divest declining businesses and focus on growth areas."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You might choose to focus on a particular aspect of the nineteenth century."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Meetings focused on the development of the curriculum."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He inevitably focused on his own concerns, with only a passing query about Jeff."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Much recent concern has been focused upon sea level rises."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The exhibition is focused primarily upon architecture."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The exhibition primarily focuses upon architecture."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Schools should not focus exclusively on exam results."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The department undertakes highly focused research."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The study was criticized for being too narrowly focused."
                },
                {
                    "text": "My own research is focused on classical traditions."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We have focused our resources on developing new products."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Think of some questions that will help focus the discussion."
                },
                {
                    "text": "This should help focus your attention."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I was finding it hard to focus my mind properly."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Perhaps your family is where you should focus your attention."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Where do you really wish to focus your time and energy?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Much of the debate was focused around the issue of inequality."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He made a promise to his father and is determined to live his entire life focused towards that goal."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A hate crime is abuse focused towards a specific person or group on grounds of race, religion, etc."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You need to focus closely on the matter at hand."
                },
                {
                    "text": "At the moment, aid agencies are focusing their efforts on women and children."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The attention of the news media was firmly focused on the elections."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Our activity is mainly focused on responding to emergencies."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["especially", "heavily", "largely"],
                "verb + focus": ["need to", "try to", "decide to"],
                "preposition": ["on", "upon"],
                "phrases": ["highly focused", "tightly focused", "narrowly focused"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to adapt or be changed so that things can be seen clearly; to change something so that you can see things clearly",
            "sensetop": "focus on somebody/somethingfocus somethingfocus something on somebody/somethingfocus something + adv./prep.",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It took a few moments for her eyes to focus in the dark."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Let your eyes focus on objects that are further away from you.",
                    "contextForm": "focus on somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "In this scene, the camera focuses on the actor's face."
                },
                {
                    "text": "‘Look at me,’ he says, focusing the camera.",
                    "contextForm": "focus something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He focused his blue eyes on her.",
                    "contextForm": "focus something on somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I quickly focused the camera on the children."
                },
                {
                    "text": "My gaze was focused elsewhere at the time.",
                    "contextForm": "focus something + adv./prep."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She blinked and tried to focus."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The eye will automatically focus on the small group in the foreground."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She could feel his eyes focusing on her."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She could feel his eyes focused on her."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He struggled to focus his eyes in the dimness."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A newborn baby cannot focus its eyes."
                },
                {
                    "text": "My eyes are focused on the horizon."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Ten TV cameras were focused on the stage."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She likes to focus her camera on the unusual and the surreal."
                },
                {
                    "text": "So much of good film-making is just knowing where to focus your camera."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["hard", "intently", "automatically"],
                "verb + focus": ["try to"],
                "preposition": ["on", "upon"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to aim light onto a particular point using a lens",
            "sensetop": "focus somethingfocus something on something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "A laser focuses a beam of light.",
                    "contextForm": "focus something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She used her glasses to focus the sun's rays on the twigs and spark a fire.",
                    "contextForm": "focus something on something"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to shine on somebody/something",
            "sensetop": "focus on somebody/something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Suddenly a spotlight focused on us."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfəʊkəs/",
                "audio": "fo/focus/focus__gb_4.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfəʊkəsɪz/",
                "audio": "fo/focus/focuses__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfəʊkəst/",
                "audio": "fo/focus/focused__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfəʊkəsɪŋ/",
                "audio": "fo/focus/focusing__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfəʊkəs/",
                "audio": "fo/focus/focus__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfəʊkəsɪz/",
                "audio": "fo/focus/focuses__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfəʊkəst/",
                "audio": "fo/focus/focused__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈfəʊkəsɪŋ/",
                "audio": "fo/focus/focusing__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "mid 17th cent. (as a term in geometry and physics): from Latin, literally ‘domestic hearth’."
}