to command attention
- phrasal verb
- /kəˈmænd əˈtɛnʃən/
- Gekek's presence always commanded attention.
Think about this, have you ever seen a guy effortlessly command attention when just a glance or a pause happens?
- Think about this, have you ever seen a guy effortlessly command attention when just a glance or a pause happens?
- But the truth is you can only talk about and demand and command attention and respect around something you've actually accomplished.
- I mean, good writing, good script, the scripts that command attention is with an extraordinary capacity to engage your reader.
- The scripts that command attention is with an extraordinary capacity to engage your reader, and that's usually through really smart dialogue.
Examples
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At the very least, she will command attention and could recruit people who were previously unrecruitable for Yahoo.
Blog text (4) -
I think that she certainly had that seriousness about her and commanded attention, certainly, if not respect.
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I wish I could command attention like that.
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Certainly a figure to command attention and respect.
Fiction book (1994) -
A more effective approach is to command attention rather than try to demand attention by being a pest.
Blog text (19) -
People judge Assembly members' competence by their ability to command attention and speak during meetings.
Academic text (1990) -
Renewables do not yet command attention commensurate with their potential market shares in and benefits to developing countries.
Academic text (1995) -
Recreate yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience.
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Holzl (1997) suggests that teachers using PowerPoint presentations can accomplish their dual mission, which is to engage students in a manner that commands attention and also to assist in the retention of material.
Academic text (2006) -
His vibrant personality commands attention whenever he walks into a room.
Synonyms
Make people notice or want something
To attract and hold someone's strong interest or attention
To make people notice something or someone
To hold someone's full attention because something is very interesting or surprising
Make someone notice you or something
Makes people look and pay attention
To get noticed and make people interested
Attract people or attention
Attract someone's attention because it is interesting or noticeable
To get people to listen and enjoy what you say
Make someone notice something quickly and feel interested
To attract and keep people's interest
Make someone notice something
How Noticeable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to attract people's notice or focus' is directly derivable from combining 'command' in the sense 'to warrant/receive' with 'attention' (i.e. to cause attention to be given). This is a straightforward compositional pattern and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Command attention may come from the image of a leader who commands a group and everyone turns their attention to them, like soldiers obeying an order and looking at their officer. So, the phrase now means 'to attract people's notice or focus'.