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focus
used in For Whom the Bell Tolls

2 meanings, 6 uses
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1  —1 use as in:
Turn your focus to question #2.
Definition
verb: to concentrate, look at, or pay attention to

noun: the act of concentration, or the ability to concentrate

(to concentrate is to direct attention or effort towards a single thing)
  • He sat there, his moustache and his eyes focused on the map, on the map that he never truly understood, on the brown tracing of the contours that were traced fine and concentric as a spider's web.
    Chapter 42 (56% in)
focused = looked
There are no more uses of "focus" flagged with this meaning in For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Typical Usage  (best examples)
Dictionary / pronunciation — Google®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford® USDictionary list — Onelook.com®
2  —2 uses as in:
bring into focus; or out of focus
Definition
a state where something has come into view or can be seen clearly

(Typically this is said of the appearance of an image or picture, but it can also be said of something that get's attention, or of an understanding that become clear.)
  • It was as though a reflex lens camera had been suddenly brought into focus.
    Chapter 43 (55% in)
focus = a state where something has come into view or can be seen clearly
  • He was walking beside her but his mind was thinking of the problem of the bridge now and it was all clear and hard and sharp as when a camera lens is brought into focus.
    Chapter 13 (18% in)
focus = a state where something has come into view or can be seen clearly
There are no more uses of "focus" flagged with this meaning in For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Typical Usage  (best examples)
Dictionary / pronunciation — Google®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford® USDictionary list — Onelook.com®
?  —3 uses
exact meaning not specified
  • His eyes were focused on the wine bowl but he was not seeing it.
    Chapter 29 (7% in)
  • As you looked at them they seemed to focus slowly.
    Chapter 27 (59% in)
  • With pale blue eyes that don't focus.
    Chapter 27 (78% in)

There are no more uses of "focus" in For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Typical Usage  (best examples)
Dictionary / pronunciation — Google®Dictionary list — Onelook.com®