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Revolve vs Focus - What's the difference?

revolve | focus |

In intransitive terms the difference between revolve and focus

is that revolve is to recur in cycles while focus is to concentrate one’s attention.

In transitive terms the difference between revolve and focus

is that revolve is to ponder on, to reflect repeatedly upon, to consider all aspects of while focus is to adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane.

As a noun focus is

a point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.

revolve

English

Verb

  • (label) To orbit a central point.
  • To turn on an axis.
  • *
  • It is never possible to settle down to the ordinary routine of life at sea until the screw begins to revolve . There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.
  • (label) To recur in cycles.
  • (label) To ponder on, to reflect repeatedly upon, to consider all aspects of.
  • * 1843 , (Thomas Carlyle), '', Bk.2, Ch.6, ''Monk Samson :
  • He sits silent, revolving many thoughts, at the foot of St. Edmund’s Shrine.

    Anagrams

    * ----

    focus

    English

    (wikipedia focus)

    Noun

  • (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= Catherine Clabby
  • , magazine=(American Scientist), title= Focus on Everything , passage=Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus'.
  • (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.
  • Verb

  • 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.
  • You'll need to focus the microscope carefully in order to capture the full detail of this surface.
  • To concentrate one's attention.
  • Focus on passing the test.
  • To concentrate one’s attention.
  • If you're going to beat your competitors, you need to focus .

    Usage notes

    The spellings focusses'', ''focussing'', ''focussed'' are more common in Commonwealth English than in American English, but in both varieties they are less common than the spellings ''focuses'', ''focusing'', ''focused .

    Derived terms

    * focus group * in focus * out of focus