Pay attention: meaning, definitions and examples
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pay attention
[ peɪ əˈtɛnʃ(ə)n ]
in daily life
To focus on someone or something in order to listen or watch carefully.
Synonyms
concentrate, focus, heed, mind.
Which Synonym Should You Choose?
| Word | Description / Examples |
|---|---|
| pay attention |
General term used in everyday situations when you want someone to notice or take note of something.
|
| focus |
Applied when you want to direct your attention or efforts towards a particular point or task, often used in both casual and formal contexts.
|
| concentrate |
Used when you want someone to deeply focus their mental effort on a task or subject.
|
| heed |
Formal term often used when giving warnings or important advice, usually implying consequences if not followed.
|
| mind |
Commonly used in warnings or instructions, indicating one should be careful or pay attention to something specific.
|
Examples of usage
- He paid attention to every detail of the presentation.
- If you want to succeed, you need to pay attention to your work.
- She always pays attention to her surroundings when walking alone at night.
Translations
Translations of the word "pay attention" in other languages:
🇵🇹 prestar atenção
🇮🇳 ध्यान देना
🇩🇪 aufpassen
🇮🇩 memperhatikan
🇺🇦 звертати увагу
🇵🇱 zwracać uwagę
🇯🇵 注意を払う (ちゅういをはらう)
🇫🇷 faire attention
🇪🇸 prestar atención
🇹🇷 dikkat etmek
🇰🇷 주의를 기울이다
🇸🇦 انتبه
🇨🇿 věnovat pozornost
🇸🇰 venovať pozornosť
🇨🇳 注意 (zhùyì)
🇸🇮 posvetiti pozornost
🇮🇸 veita athygli
🇰🇿 назар аудару
🇬🇪 ყურადღების მიქცევა
🇦🇿 diqqət yetirmək
🇲🇽 prestar atención
Etymology
The phrase 'pay attention' originated from the combination of the verb 'pay' meaning 'to give' and the noun 'attention' meaning 'mental focus or awareness'. It first appeared in the English language around the 17th century and has since become a common expression used to emphasize the importance of focusing on something or someone.