Dictionary

focal point en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈfoʊkəl ˌpɔɪnt/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio

Meanings

1. A focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge.
2. The centre of any activity.
   • Swansea's attack lacked its focal point with top scorer Fernando Llorente injured, while Boro seldom looked like scoring their first away league goal of 2017. 2017 April 2, Dafydd Pritchard, “Swansea City 0-0 Middlesbrough”, in BBC Sport, London:
   • By contrast, unelemental philosophy no longer has as its focal point humanity's relation to the world. Man (I use this term advisedly) becomes an analysing spectator of his existence, as opposed to a participant in it. 2021, David Lorimer, A Quest for Wisdom:
   • Throughout the 1500s, the populace roiled over a constellation of grievances of which the forest emerged as a key focal point. The popular late Middle Ages fictional character Robin Hood, dressed in green to symbolize the forest, dodged fines for forest offenses and stole from the rich to give to the poor. But his appeal was painfully real and embodied the struggle over wood. 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 2, in Internal Combustion:
3. A feature that attracts particular attention.
4. A solution that people will tend to use in the absence of communication, because it seems natural, special, or relevant.

Forms

Translations (22)

ga pointe fócasach ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · de Brennpunkt ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · fi polttopiste ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · hy կիզակետ ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · es punto focal ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · es punto focal (center of an activity) · nb brennpunkt ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · kmr tîşkoya hawêneyê ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · hu fókuszpont ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · nn brennpunkt ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · fr point focal ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · el σημείο εστίασης ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · cmn 重点 ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · tl katumbukan ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · da brændpunkt ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · mi pū ngahunga ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · cs ohnisko ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · pl centralny punkt ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · ro focar ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · da fokus ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · pl fokus ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge) · nl brandpunt ((optics) a focus; a point at which rays of light or other radiation converge)