The environment was the focus of student council activities.
Source: tatoeba (21014)
Focus
/ˈfəʊ.kəs/
Synonyms for "focus" (453 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (91)
Verb(17 words)
centercentreconcentrateabsorbedadhereadjust concentrationalignanchorapplyapply effortattendbaseburychannelledconcenterconcentrarconcentre
Noun(46 words)
focal pointabstract focusaccumulate at centeractivity themeadjustaimaimed changealertnessallocateapply oneselfarea of studyassignment topicattendattentionattentionsattentivenessaxisbeing studiedbucklesburying
Show 26 more words
calibratecentercenter ofcenterfoldcenteringcenterpiececenterpiecescenterscentringchannelingchannellingchannelschapter topicchemistry subfieldchild orientedclassroom chemistry orientedclassroom mattersclassroom silenceclearly defined purposecommunity centersconcentrateconcentratesconcentratingconcentrationconcentration levelconcentrations
adductorapproachasymptoteattractantattrahentaxiombendblurredblurrybottleneckbring into focuscentercenter of attractioncenter of consciousnesscenter of interestclearcollision courseconcenterconcentralizationconcentralize
Show 2 more words
Adjective(6 words)
Strong matches (136)
concourseconcurrenceconfluenceconfluxcongressconvergeconvergenceconvergingcorecrossingcynosuredefinitiondistinctelixiressenceessentialfastenfixfixateflower
Show 19 more words
focal pointfocalizationfocalizefocus of attentionfundamentalfunnelfuzzygistgravamenhearthubhypostasisin focusindistinctinner essenceintensifyintensitykernellevel
Verb(25 words)
confinededicatesdelvedialeddirectdirectedegyptianizeengagefixatefixatedfixatesfocalisefocalizegain prominencegravitatedhomedhonehonedidentify the main ideaimmersed
Show 5 more words
Noun(59 words)
conservation themecontent centeredcontinuity of thoughtcontrolled energiesconvergence pointdevotiondirectdirect rule eradirectiondistant topicemphasisemphasizingengaged stateengagementsepicenterepicentersepicentrefixatingfixationsfocused calm
Show 39 more words
focused studyingfocusingfocussingforegroundforegroundsfrontingfulcrafunnellinggazesgoal orientedgrounding meditationgroup energyhealth education topichighly concentratedhistory topichobby nichehomehomeshotpointhotspotimage pointimmerse in workimmersingincrease in concentrationindividual focusintendedsintensely focusedintentnessitalian topicokendraknucklinglab activity orientedlairlanguage use orientedlearning focuslesionlesionslesson focuslesson topic
Adjective(13 words)
dutch concentratieeducational emphasiseducational focuseducational importanceeducational themeeducator focusedfrench concentrationgerman konzentrationgood staminainner strengthinstructional emphasisintense focusitalian concentrazione
Related words (226)
Adjective(21 words)
life science orientedmain subjectmental activitynarrownarrow aimnorwegian konsentrasjonprimary subjectshort term orientedsmall producer levelspecializedspecialized lexiconsteadysteady focus during studysteady focus routinestrong staminaswedish koncentrationtarget population characteristicstargeted attentiontargeted segmentunchanged concentrations
Show 1 more word
visual clarity
Verb(32 words)
listenmaintain concentrationmaintain focusmaintains concentrationmeditatemeditatesminoringmodify concentrationorbitedorientateorientatesorientedovershadowedpointpolarizeporeprioritizesrefocusesrevolvesrivet
Show 12 more words
sharpensharpenedsharpenssingledspecialisespecializespecializesstabilize concentrationstaredstay on coursewhettedzeroed
Noun(113 words)
locusmaintaining focusmajormajoringmajorsmarketsmatter under studymattered mostmatterness in discussionmatters of importancemaypolemeditationmetropolis centermiddlesmilestone orientedmind activitymindingmore signal amendment intentmost active listeningmost important
Show 93 more words
music collectsmétiersnarrative subjectnarrowingnavelnerdsnichenichesnidusnombrilnoticingobject under studyorbitorganizational aimorientatingpattern orientedpayingpet care orientedplanning emphasisplanning focused contentpolicy directedportuguese concentraçãopreoccupationpreview orientedprioritiesprioritizeprioritizingprivate spaceprobe thrustprofessional development orientedpush concentrationresearch issueresults orientedrevolvingsaliencyschellingsearchlightself controlservice orientedsharpensharpeningsharpnesssingle push designsinglenessspanish concentrarspecialityspecializationspecializationsspecializingspotlightsstaminastay focusedstay positionsteady attentionsteady focusstillnessesstory themestressstudent concentrationstudy topicsubjectsubject a text tosubject areasubject of studysubject tosustained focustargettarget algorithmtargetingteaching itemthe current topicthemetheme a projectthemesthrustthrust forwardthrust forward aggressivelythrustingtopictopic relatedtopicnesstraintraining focusedumbilicusesusage orientedusage orientswood waterproofingzendzeroeszeroingzonezoning relatedzooms
Determiner(3 words)
more attentionthe subjectthis topic
Preposition(1 words)
on task behavior
Pronoun(1 words)
self isolated development
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: center, centre, concentrate, focal point, absorbed.
- Sentence evidence is available for focus, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "focus".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "focus"
Keep "focus" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "focus" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "focus", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "focus" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
35 entriesShowing 16 of 35 words.
More specific
13 entriesautofocuscentral topicconvergence pointessential ideafocal pointfocus areaimage pointintense focusmain thememanual focusnarrow focusselective focustargeted focus
Collocations
12 entriesclear focusdepth of focusfocal pointfocus attentionfocus energyfocus groupfocus lensfocus of attentionfocus resourceslaser focusnarrow focussharp focus
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
1 entriesTranslations
23 translations across 20 languages.
Bulgarian
1 entries- фокус noun (in mathematics)
Catalan
1 entries- focus noun (in mathematics)
Danish
1 entries- fokus noun (in mathematics)
Dutch
2 entries- brandpunt noun (in mathematics)
- focus noun (in mathematics)
Estonian
1 entries- fookus noun (in mathematics)
Finnish
2 entries- leikkauspiste noun (in mathematics)
- polttopiste noun (in mathematics)
French
1 entries- foyer noun (in mathematics)
German
1 entries- Brennpunkt noun (in mathematics)
Indonesian
1 entries- titik api noun (in mathematics)
Irish
1 entries- fócas noun (in mathematics)
Italian
1 entries- fuoco noun (in mathematics)
Japanese
1 entries- 焦点 noun (in mathematics)
Korean
1 entries- 초점 noun (in mathematics)
Macedonian
1 entries- фокус noun (in mathematics)
Māori
1 entries- ngahunga noun (in mathematics)
Portuguese
1 entries- foco noun (in mathematics)
Russian
2 entries- фо́кус noun (in mathematics)
- фока́льная то́чка noun (in mathematics)
Spanish
1 entries- foco noun (in mathematics)
Tagalog
1 entries- katumbukan noun (in mathematics)
Vietnamese
1 entries- tiêu điểm noun (in mathematics)
Sample sentences
28 total sentences available.
The image is out of focus.
Source: tatoeba (26432)
A committee should apply the focus to the more concrete problem.
Source: tatoeba (28254)
Do I have to focus it?
Source: tatoeba (34437)
Showing 4 of 28 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "focus"?
Closest matches include center, centre, concentrate, focal point, absorbed.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "focus"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.