1. to cause to go out of focus; to make blurry or unclear
Usage: photography; optics
2. to shift attention away from something; to reduce emphasis on
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The photographer accidentally defocused the lens during the shoot.
• Moving the camera too quickly will defocus the image.
• The company decided to defocus from luxury products and target budget consumers.
• She tried to defocus her mind from the stressful situation.
• The microscope will defocus if you adjust the wrong knob.
• The director chose to defocus the background to highlight the main subject.