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Which astronomer introduced the word focus as a mathematical term?

focus

[foh-kuhs] / ˈfoʊ kəs /




NOUN
point at which light or sound converge
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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“Our commitment and focus remain on the fair, secure, accurate, and legal processes we are engaged in to complete and certify the election.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

In Europe, gross domestic product data from the eurozone and U.K. are due, while in Asia, China’s inflation and trade figures will be in focus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

What Musk once described as Tesla’s “best ever” product will now be sidelined in favor of a focus on autonomous vehicles.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Fed officials have long been reluctant to put the focus too squarely on any one jobs report.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

I do my best to focus on the rest of the class sharing their findings.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

The fasting mice had better blood values, less fatty liver and liver inflammation and above all: they developed less liver cancer and had fewer cancer foci in the liver.

From Science Daily ● May 7, 2024

The center must be the midpoint of the line segment joining the foci.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021

What can be said about the symmetry of the graph of an ellipse with center at the origin and foci along the y-axis?

From Textbooks ● Sep. 23, 2020

TRY IT #5 Graph the ellipse given by the equation Identify and label the center, vertices, co- vertices, and foci.

From Textbooks ● Sep. 23, 2020

Ellipses have two centers, or foci; the more elongated the ellipse, the farther apart these foci are.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

His team focuses on inflammation, tissue repair, and regeneration, biological processes that also play important roles in cancer and numerous other diseases.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

Prevost was a passionate ambassador of Francis's encyclical "Laudato Si,'" which focuses on caring for the planet as "our common home."

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

The largest is Kellanova, which focuses on snacks, cereals, noodles and other food products like Eggo, Pringles and Pop-Tarts sold globally.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

McKinsey senior partner Alex Devereson, who focuses on AI in drug development, said the technology can design new experimental medicines quicker than before, but that doesn’t mean it is coming up with workable drugs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Dad keeps his voice soothing as he focuses on the parking situation.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

The trust also includes Chase Farm hospital, which focusses on planned surgery - such as orthopaedics and ear, nose and throat.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2025

"The metallic tip acts like an antenna and focusses the electromagnetic field in a tiny area below its apex."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2024

“This shocking news focusses our minds on Michael’s wife Clare and their sons,” said Roy Taylor, a professor of medicine and metabolism at Newcastle University who co-authored “The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet” with Mosley.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

The unemployment rate has fallen from 8.5% in 2011 to 3.8% in 2023, said the think tank, which focusses on improving the living standards for those on low to middle incomes.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2024

Yet the head analogy is useful, since it focusses our attention to these various subtleties.

From Definition & Reality in the General Theory of Political Economy by Thomas Colignatus

At a recent summit on UK resilience, the conversation focused on the need for the UK to be able to withstand a Black Sky event for a minimum of 72 hours.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

Fed policymakers are more focused on inflation, which has remained firmly above their 2% target.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

“Musk is focused on robotics and the robotaxi era,” Dan Ives, an analyst at Yorkville Ives, told MarketWatch over email.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Over our Zoom call, Alexander is engaging, calm but focused on the things that matter in her life: poetry, family, community, justice and connection.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

She focused her thoughts on her lost lover.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The first minister's speech focussed on reform of the public sector to save money, cut bureaucracy, and improve how services are delivered.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

But that didn't stop its shares from surging nearly 10 percent on Thursday, as investors focussed on its profit outlook.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Across Caracas and La Guaira, many were focussed instead on Sunday services in churches to remember those lost and still missing.

From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026

Aligned with the Value Jersey movement, his campaign focussed heavily on the cost of living on the island.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

“Partly on his interest being focussed on what he calls ‘the soul,’ which he persists in regarding as an entity independent of the physical environment, whereas, as I tried to point out to him ...”

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

“I’m open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance,” Vance wrote.

From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026

Beyond the debate over dairy fat, the research highlights a broader challenge in nutrition science: judging the health effects of entire foods rather than focusing exclusively on individual nutrients.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

The only catch, if there is one, is that Buffett’s approach is a long-term strategy — focusing on investment horizons longer than a decade.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

Giving his reaction to the results, Burnham said the voters in the US have said they want to "see the world coming together and focusing on the things that matter to people".

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Witching Hour had wild eyes that seemed to move independently of each other, never focusing on any one thing.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

"I think there's a lot of things to say about where we're focussing our attention and where we're putting our money."

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

"Additionally, some trade unions are devoting energy to local consultations to mitigate the impact on those colleagues in detriment – focussing on providing specific solutions."

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

AI has shaken the cyber-security world, with concerns focussing on Mythos in particular.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

Dr Becks Fisher said, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said the service will be helpful for some and focussing on menopause and menstrual health "makes sense" given the long waits for gynaecology services.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

Occasionally, focussing on a linguistic alteration can mislead us into thinking that something important has happened when it hasn’t, or that something happened at a particular moment when it actually happened earlier.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton


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