Purpose vs Focus - What's the difference?
purpose | focus |
An object to be reached; a target; an aim; a goal.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=
, volume=188, issue=26, page=6, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title= A result that is desired; an intention.
The act of intending to do something; resolution; determination.
* 2013 , Phil McNulty, "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23830980]", BBC Sport , 1 September 2013:
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=
, title= The subject of discourse; the point at issue.
The reason for which something is done, or the reason it is done in a particular way.
(obsolete) Instance; example.
Have set as one's purpose; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan.
* Macaulay
(passive ) Designed for some purpose.
(obsolete) To have a purpose or intention; to discourse.
(countable, optics) A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.
(countable, geometry) A point of a conic at which rays reflected from a curve or surface converge.
(uncountable, photography, cinematography) The fact of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=
, magazine=(American Scientist), title= (uncountable, photography, cinematography) The quality of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.
(uncountable) Concentration of attention.
(countable, seismology) The exact point of where an earthquake occurs, in three dimensions.
(computing, graphical user interface) The indicator of the currently active element in a user interface.
(linguistics) The most important word or phrase in a sentence or passage, or the one that imparts information.
To cause (rays of light, etc) to converge at a single point.
To adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane.
To concentrate one's attention.
To concentrate one’s attention.
In transitive terms the difference between purpose and focus
is that purpose is (passive) Designed for some purpose while focus is to adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane.purpose
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)Ed Pilkington
‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told, passage=In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.}}
- United began with more purpose in the early phase of the second half and Liverpool were grateful for Glen Johnson's crucial block from Young's goalbound shot.
Sarah Glaz
Ode to Prime Numbers, volume=101, issue=4, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes.}}
- (Spenser)
- The purpose of turning off the lights overnight is to save energy.
Synonyms
* (target ): aim, goal, object, target * (intention ): aim, plan, intention * (determination ): determination, intention, resolution * (subject of discourse ): matter, subject, topic * (reason for doing something ): reason * See alsoDerived terms
(terms derived from purpose) * all-purpose * common purpose * cross-purpose * fit for purpose * for all intents and purposes * game with a purpose * general-purpose * infinitive of purpose * multi-purpose * metapurpose * purpose-built * purposeful * purposeless * purpose-like * purpose loan * purposely * purpose statement * on purposeEtymology 2
From (etyl)Verb
(purpos)- I purpose to write the history of England from the accession of King James the Second down to a time which is within the memory of men still living.
- (Spenser)
Derived terms
* purposed * purposer * purposive * on purposeSynonyms
* (have set as one's purpose ): aim, intend, mean, plan, set out * (designed for some purpose ): intendedReferences
* * *Statistics
*focus
English
(wikipedia focus)Noun
Catherine Clabby
Focus on Everything, passage=Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus'.
Verb
- You'll need to focus the microscope carefully in order to capture the full detail of this surface.
- Focus on passing the test.
- If you're going to beat your competitors, you need to focus .