The concentration of attention or energy on something:
— The focus of activity shifted to molecular biology.

synonyms: centering, direction, focal point, focusing, focussing.

Roget 74: focus; point of convergence etc. 290; corradiation^†; center etc. 222; gathering place, resort haunt retreat; venue; rendezvous; rallying point, headquarters, home, club; depot etc. (store) 636; trysting place; place of meeting, place of resort, place of assignation; point de reunion; issue.    ... show more

Roget 222: centrality, centricalness^†, center; middle etc. 68; focus etc. 74.    core, kernel; nucleus, nucleolus; heart, pole axis, bull's eye; nave, navel; umbilicus, backbone, marrow, pith; vertebra, vertebral column; hotbed; concentration etc. (convergence) 290; centralization; symmetry.    center of gravity, center of pressure, center of percussion, center of oscillation, center of buoyancy &c.; metacenter^†.    ... show more

Roget 386: furnace, stove, kiln, oven; cracker; hearth, focus, combustion chamber; athanor^†, hypocaust^†, reverberatory; volcano; forge, fiery furnace; limekiln; Dutch oven; tuyere, brasier^†, salamander, heater, warming pan; boiler, caldron, seething caldron, pot; urn, kettle; chafing-dish; retort, crucible, alembic, still; waffle irons; muffle furnace, induction furnace; electric heater, electric furnace, electric resistance heat.    [steel-making furnace] open-hearth furnace.    fireplace, gas fireplace; coal fire, wood fire; fire-dog, fire-irons; grate, range, kitchener; caboose, camboose^†; poker, tongs, shovel, ashpan, hob, trivet; andiron, gridiron; ashdrop; frying-pan, stew-pan, backlog.    [area near a fireplace] hearth, inglenook.    [residential heating methods] oil burner, gas burner, Franklin stove, pot-bellied stove; wood-burning stove; central heating, steam heat, hot water heat, gas heat, forced hot air, electric heat, heat pump; solar heat, convective heat.    hothouse, bakehouse^†, washhouse^†; laundry; conservatory; sudatory^†; Turkish bath, Russian bath, vapor bath, steam bath, sauna, warm bath; vaporarium^†.    ... show more

Dutch: focus, scherpstelling

Maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system.

Dutch: beeldscherpte
Polish: ostrość

Maximum clarity or distinctness of an idea.

A central point or locus of an infection in an organism:
— The focus of infection.

synonyms: focal point, nidus.

Dutch: infectiehaard

Special emphasis attached to something.

synonym: stress.

A point of convergence of light (or other radiation) or a point from which it diverges.

synonym: focal point.

Dutch: brandpunt, focus
Polish: fokus, ognisko

A fixed reference point on the concave side of a conic section.

Dutch: brandpunt

Direct one's attention on something:
— Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies.

synonyms: center, centre, concentrate, pore, rivet.

Dutch: concentreren, richten

Cause to converge on or toward a central point.

Bring into focus or alignment; to converge or cause to converge; of ideas or emotions.

synonyms: concenter, concentre, focalise, focalize.

Become focussed or come into focus:
— The light focused.

synonyms: focalise, focalize.

Put (an image) into focus:
— Please focus the image; we cannot enjoy the movie.

synonyms: focalise, focalize, sharpen.

Dutch: focussen