ATTENTION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does attention mean? 

• ATTENTION (noun)
  The noun ATTENTION has 6 senses:

1. the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

2. the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

3. a general interest that leads people to want to know more

4. a courteous act indicating affection

5. the faculty or power of mental concentration

6. a motionless erect stance with arms at the sides and feet together; assumed by military personnel during drill or review

  Familiarity information: ATTENTION used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ATTENTION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

attending; attention

Hypernyms ("attention" is a kind of...):

basic cognitive process (cognitive processes involved in obtaining and storing knowledge)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attention"):

attentiveness; heed; paying attention; regard (paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people))

clock-watching (paying excessive attention to the clock (in anticipation of stopping work))

ear (attention to what is said)

eye (attention to what is seen)

notice; observance; observation (the act of noticing or paying attention)

notice (polite or favorable attention)

Antonym:

inattention (lack of attention)

Derivation:

attend (give heed (to))

Sense 2

Meaning:

The work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

aid; attention; care; tending

Context example:

the old car needs constant attention

Hypernyms ("attention" is a kind of...):

work (activity directed toward making or doing something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attention"):

maternalism (motherly care; behavior characteristic of a mother; the practice of acting as a mother does toward her children)

health care; healthcare (the preservation of mental and physical health by preventing or treating illness through services offered by the health profession)

tree surgery (treatment of damaged or decaying trees)

faith cure; faith healing (care provided through prayer and faith in God)

skin care; skincare (care for the skin)

personal care (care for someone who is disabled or is otherwise unable to care for themselves; can including bathing and cooking and managing bodily functions)

nurturance (physical and emotional care and nourishment)

tender loving care; TLC (considerate and solicitous care)

nursing (the work of caring for the sick or injured or infirm)

nourishment (the act of nourishing)

manicure (professional care for the hands and fingernails)

livery (the care (feeding and stabling) of horses for pay)

incubation (maintaining something at the most favorable temperature for its development)

intervention; treatment (care provided to improve a situation (especially medical procedures or applications that are intended to relieve illness or injury))

first aid (emergency care given before regular medical aid can be obtained)

dental care (care for the teeth)

pet sitting (the work of a pet sitter; caring for pets in their own home while their owners are away from home)

baby sitting; babysitting (the work of a baby sitter; caring for children when their parents are not home)

hair care; haircare; hairdressing (care for the hair: the activity of washing or cutting or curling or arranging the hair)

pedicure (professional care for the feet and toenails)

Derivation:

attend (take charge of or deal with)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A general interest that leads people to want to know more

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

She was the center of attention

Hypernyms ("attention" is a kind of...):

attracter; attraction; attractive feature; attractor; magnet (a characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attention"):

enhancer; foil (anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities)

Derivation:

attend (give heed (to))

Sense 4

Meaning:

A courteous act indicating affection

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

she tried to win his heart with her many attentions

Hypernyms ("attention" is a kind of...):

courtesy (a courteous or respectful or considerate act)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The faculty or power of mental concentration

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

keeping track of all the details requires your complete attention

Hypernyms ("attention" is a kind of...):

faculty; mental faculty; module (one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attention"):

absorption; concentration; engrossment; immersion (complete attention; intense mental effort)

alertness; vigilance; wakefulness; watchfulness (the process of paying close and continuous attention)

mental note (special attention with intent to remember)

Derivation:

attend (give heed (to))

Sense 6

Meaning:

A motionless erect stance with arms at the sides and feet together; assumed by military personnel during drill or review

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

the troops stood at attention

Hypernyms ("attention" is a kind of...):

stance (standing posture)

Attribute:

inattentive (showing a lack of attention or care)

attentive ((often followed by 'to') giving care or attention)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

 Context examples 

Friends have been warm and welcoming, and if you have had anything troubling you, any one of them would be willing to give you their full attention to discuss your feelings and options.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Then, right out from all the others and close to the edge of the cliff, were two figures, so strange, and under other circumstances so ludicrous, that they absorbed my attention.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

My principles were never trained, Jane: they may have grown a little awry for want of attention.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

It moved with commingled mistrust and daring, cautiously observing the men, its attention fixed on the dogs.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

The fact that a somewhat dilapidated blue one remained stationary above the unprotected bonnet attracted her attention, and looking up, she saw Mr. Bhaer looking down.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

It was misery to think of Mr Elliot's attentions.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

These activities are performed on a computer or tablet, and require the participant to focus their attention and respond attentively to situations in which the dominant responses are not correct.

(Study reveals attention training improves intelligence and brain function of children, University of Granada)

The finding offers insight into how our brains are able to focus attention on key tasks amid a barrage of distracting sensory information.

(How the brain pays attention to faces and places, NIH)

I commend it very specially to your attention, Lestrade and also the bullets which fit it.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The viral components of the microbiome (the virome) have received less attention, largely because viruses are so diverse that there are no universal viral target regions.

(Algal Virus Infects, Affects Humans, NIH)