Another Word for Focus: Concentrate, Centre, Emphasis

On this page16 sections

1. Quick picker
2. Focus (verb): give your attention to
3. Focus (verb): aim work or effort at one area
4. Focus (verb): narrow down to the exact point
5. Focus (noun): the main subject or point
6. Focus (noun): special importance
7. Focus (noun): the ability to concentrate
8. If you mean "focused" (adjective)
9. Focus in sight and photography
10. For work emails and meetings
11. For essays and reports
12. For a CV or cover letter
13. Words that are easy to misuse
14. Opposites
15. Practice
16. Quick answers

The most common other words for focus are concentrate, centre on (US: center on), concentrate on, zero in on and pay attention to when it is a verb, and attention, emphasis, priority and main subject when it is a noun. Which one fits depends on what you mean: giving something your attention, aiming work at one area, the main point of something, or seeing clearly.

Below, the alternatives are grouped by those meanings, each with an example. After them come sets for work emails, essays and CVs, a few words that are easy to misuse, and a short practice with answers.

Quick picker

Focus (verb): give your attention to

• concentrate (on) – the closest single-word synonym. “Concentrate on the questions you can answer first.”
• pay attention (to) – plainer and more everyday. “Pay attention to the warning lights.”
• attend to – formal; often means “deal with”. “I’ll attend to your request this afternoon.”
• apply yourself (to) – work hard at something. “If he applied himself to maths, he’d pass easily.”
• give your full attention (to) – “Please give the speaker your full attention.”
• keep your eye on the ball (idiom) – stay focused on what matters. “We’re nearly there; keep your eye on the ball.”
• knuckle down (informal) – start working seriously. “Exams are in two weeks, so it’s time to knuckle down.”
• buckle down (informal, mainly US) – the same idea. “She buckled down and finished the report.”

Note the prepositions: you concentrate on, pay attention to and focus on. Without an object, concentrate and focus stand alone: “I can’t focus today.”

Focus (verb): aim work or effort at one area

• centre on / around (US: center) – “The talks centred on trade.” Strictly, centre on is the logical form, but centre around is very common and accepted by most dictionaries.
• prioritise (US: prioritize) – put first. “We prioritised repairs over new projects.”
• target – aim at a group or goal. “The campaign targets first-time voters.”
• direct – send effort somewhere. “Direct your energy into the parts you can change.”
• channel – guide energy or feelings into something. “She channelled her anger into training.”
• devote yourself to / dedicate yourself to – give a lot of time. “He devoted the summer to his thesis.”
• specialise in (US: specialize) – focus a career or business. “The firm specialises in family law.”
• narrow down – reduce the range. “Let’s narrow the list down to three options.”

Focus (verb): narrow down to the exact point

• zero in on – “Investigators zeroed in on a single faulty part.”
• home in on – “The coach homed in on the team’s slow starts.” Many people say hone in on; it is common, especially in American English, but home in on (from a homing pigeon or missile) is the traditional form and the safer choice in formal writing.
• pinpoint – find exactly. “Can you pinpoint when the problem started?”
• single out – choose one from a group for attention. “The report singled out two schools for praise.”
• drill down (business) – look at the details. “Let’s drill down into the March figures.”

Focus (noun): the main subject or point

• subject / topic – “The subject of the documentary is plastic in the oceans.”
• theme – the idea running through a work. “Loss is the main theme of the poem.”
• heart / core / crux – the most important part. “The crux of the problem is cost.” (Crux is used for a problem or argument, not for a pleasant subject.)
• centrepiece (US: centerpiece) – the most noticeable part. “The new bridge is the centrepiece of the plan.”
• focal point – the thing your eye or attention goes to. “The fireplace is the focal point of the room.”
• hub / centre – where activity is concentrated. “The kitchen is the centre of family life.”
• gist – the main meaning, briefly. “I only caught the gist of what he said.”

Focus (noun): special importance

• emphasis – “There’s a strong emphasis on speaking in this course.”
• priority – “Safety is our first priority.”
• attention – “The new film has drawn a lot of attention.”
• weight – “The judges gave more weight to originality.”
• stress – “The report puts stress on early action.”
• spotlight – public attention. “The scandal put the club in the spotlight.”

Focus (noun): the ability to concentrate

• concentration – “Noise breaks my concentration.”
• attention span – how long someone can concentrate. “Young children have short attention spans.”
• single-mindedness – determined focus on one aim. “Her single-mindedness won her the title.”
• determination / drive – focus that comes from wanting something. See metaphors for determination.
• engagement – involvement and interest, common in teaching and HR. “Student engagement rose after the change.”

If you mean “focused” (adjective)

Spelling: focused and focusing are the usual spellings in both American and British English; focussed is an accepted British variant. The plural noun is focuses in everyday use, and foci in maths, science and medicine.

Focus in sight and photography

• sharp, crisp, clear – “The image is sharp.”
• in focus / out of focus – “The background is slightly out of focus.”
• blurry, fuzzy, soft – the opposite. “The photo came out blurry.”
• bring into focus – make clear, literally or about an issue. “The report brought the housing shortage into focus.”

For work emails and meetings

• “Let’s prioritise the client’s three main concerns.”
• “This week I’m concentrating on the budget, so replies may be slow.”
• “Can we keep the discussion to the launch date?” (polite way to keep a meeting focused)
• “The next phase will centre on training.”
• “Our main priority for Q1 is retention.”

Avoid stacking: “Our key focus this quarter is to focus on our focus areas” says the same thing three times. One focus word per sentence is plenty.

For essays and reports

• “This essay examines / explores / concentrates on the causes of the war.”
• “The study is concerned with urban birds.” (formal)
• “The central question is whether the policy worked.”
• “Chapter 3 turns to the economic effects.”
• “The emphasis here is on primary sources.”

For a CV or cover letter

“Focused” appears on so many CVs that recruiters skim past it. Show the focus instead, with a result:

• Instead of “highly focused professional”: “Delivered the system upgrade two weeks early while running daily support.”
• Instead of “focused on customers”: “Specialised in enterprise clients; renewed 18 of 20 accounts.” (Use your own true numbers.)
• Useful verbs: specialised in, led, targeted, prioritised, streamlined, concentrated on.

Related: synonyms for attention to detail on a resume.

Words that are easy to misuse

Opposites

For a lack of focus: distracted, scattered, unfocused, absent-minded, all over the place (informal), lose the thread, lose sight of (“We lost sight of the original goal”). For a picture: blurred, out of focus.

Practice

Choose the best word.

1. I can’t ______ with all this noise. (concentrate / emphasise)
2. The detective ______ in on the one witness who had lied. (zeroed / centred)
3. The new course puts more ______ on speaking. (emphasis / gist)
4. The fireplace is the ______ of the room. (focal point / attention span)
5. Correct the sentence: “The report emphasises on safety.”
6. Which sounds negative: dedicated to or fixated on?
7. Rewrite for a CV: “I am a very focused person.”
8. Formal essay wording: “This essay ______ the causes of the war.” (examines / knuckles down)

Answers: 1 concentrate; 2 zeroed; 3 emphasis; 4 focal point; 5 “The report emphasises safety” (or “puts emphasis on safety”); 6 fixated on; 7 replace the label with an achievement, e.g. “Finished the migration on schedule while handling daily support”; 8 examines.

Quick answers

What is another word for focus?

As a verb, concentrate or concentrate on; as a noun, attention, emphasis or main subject.

What is a formal word for focus?

Concentrate on, centre on, be concerned with, prioritise and emphasis all suit formal writing.

What is a word for staying focused?

Single-minded, attentive, determined; the idiom is “keep your eye on the ball”.

Is it “focused” or “focussed”?

Both are correct in British English; focused is more common everywhere and is the only usual spelling in American English.

More word choices: another word for important, another word for explain and idioms for motivation.