concern
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to relate to; be connected with; be of interest or importance to; affect.
The water shortage concerns us all.
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to interest or engage (used reflexively or in the passive, often followed by with orin ).
She concerns herself with every aspect of the business.
-
to trouble, worry, or disquiet.
I am concerned about his health.
- Synonyms:
- disturb
noun
-
something that relates or pertains to a person; business; affair.
Law is the concern of lawyers.
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a matter that engages a person's attention, interest, or care, or that affects a person's welfare or happiness.
The party was no concern of his.
- Synonyms:
- responsibility, burden
-
worry, solicitude, or anxiety.
to show concern for someone in trouble.
- Antonyms:
- indifference
-
important relation or bearing.
This news is of concern to all of us.
-
a commercial or manufacturing company or establishment.
the headquarters of an insurance concern.
-
Informal. any material object or contrivance.
verb
-
to relate to; be of importance or interest to; affect
-
to involve or interest (oneself)
he concerns himself with other people's affairs
noun
-
something that affects or is of importance to a person; affair; business
-
regard for or interest in a person or a thing
he felt a strong concern for her
-
anxiety, worry, or solicitude
-
important bearing or relation
his news has great concern for us
-
a commercial company or enterprise
-
informal a material thing, esp one of which one has a low opinion
Usage
What is a basic definition of concern? Concern means to relate to or to affect, to interest or engage, or to worry. Concern also has several senses as a noun. If an issue or problem concerns someone, it means that it involves them or will affect them personally.
- Real-life examples: The price of gas concerns drivers. Stock market prices concern investors. Global warming concerns everyone.
- Used in a sentence: Our conversation doesn’t concern you, so leave us alone.
- Used in a sentence: Fires are the concern of the fire department.
- Real-life examples: You might concern yourself with your friend’s problem because you care about them. When you’re taking a test, your teacher might remind students to be concerned only with their own papers. Your parents concern themselves with your health.
- Used in a sentence: Chuck doesn’t concern himself with other people’s problems.
- Used in a sentence: What my neighbors do to their lawn is no concern of mine.
- Real-life examples: You might be concerned about your grades. Politicians are often concerned about whether voters will keep voting for them. Your friend might be concerned about whether you both make the basketball team.
- Used in a sentence: Her brother’s failing health really concerns Joelene, and she has been losing sleep over it.
- Used in a sentence: We try to ease parents’ concern by showing them that the school is completely safe and monitored.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
concernsimple
-
concernssimple
-
have concernedperfect
-
has concernedperfect
-
am concerningprogressive
-
are concerningprogressive
-
is concerningprogressive
-
have been concerningperfect progressive
-
has been concerningperfect progressive
Past
-
concernedsimple
-
had concernedperfect
-
was concerningprogressive
-
were concerningprogressive
-
had been concerningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of concern
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English concernen, from Middle French concerner, from Medieval Latin concernere “to relate to, distinguish,” from Late Latin: “to mix for sifting,” from Latin con- con- + cernere “to decide, separate, sift”
Explanation
Concern is both a noun and a verb. As a noun it's something that you find particularly important. If you love pizza, getting the crust just so is a major concern during your pizza party. Concern can also be something or someone that makes you upset or anxious, like your concern over the quality of the pizza crust. It can be a feeling of sympathy, like when your mom expresses concern over your obsession with pizza crust. As a verb, concern means to be relevant to something. Your main goal today may concern studying for your math test. Concern can also describe worry. When you stay out past curfew, your mom will be concerned.
Vocabulary lists containing concern
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Suicide in the autism population is a serious concern, but we know so little,” said Dr. Paul Lipkin, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore who is collaborating on the project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
"ICER has a budget impact threshold that estimates whether the uptake of a drug can lead to a budget impact concern," he said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
But the House responded to public concern Wednesday by passing, in a 232-198 vote, a bill called the Stop Insider Trading Act.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Horan thinks AT&T has a “few solid quarters” before pressure from Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite-internet division, becomes a major concern.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
She studies me, her eyes filled with genuine concern.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act would address a glaring irony in our current regulations: They deter prescribed burns due to pollution concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
They came after probes over forced labor concerns, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Someone who feels ashamed about money may avoid reviewing accounts, seeking guidance, discussing financial concerns or making a plan. Accountability combined with self-compassion is usually more effective than self-condemnation.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Canada and Mexico have also experienced major outbreaks involving multiple deaths, raising concerns about whether North America can maintain its measles elimination status.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
This classification concerns Pitched instruments or Unpitched instruments.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
He wrote in a declaration filed with the court last week that former government officials have been reluctant to engage, concerned about becoming targets for speaking about “topics that are neither sensitive nor confidential.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"But partners are concerned that this assurance may not hold."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Restaurant manager Eugene Ganly was initially concerned that people wouldn’t come because there were so many watch parties happening all over the county; Ganly said he was quickly proven wrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Was he so concerned with capturing his son’s malaise as Adrian became an adult that he missed details he might’ve seen if one eye weren’t looking through the viewfinder?
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Zara says something too, but I don’t hear her because I’m too busy wondering how Debbie seems to not be at all concerned about the fake life Dad told her we have.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
This is concerning, Jess Phillips told us: "Not even training your moderators on your website. They should be ashamed of themselves."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby on Friday called Goldstein’s conduct “serious and concerning, not only in terms of the nature of it but its breadth.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"I encourage patients to be proactive and use the checklist to start a conversation with their primary care provider about any concerning bowel changes."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
"In the long run, other issues concerning straits will arise," Domergue said, citing the Taiwan Strait, given China's declared territorial ambitions in Southeast Asia, or the Strait of Malacca, shared by Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
There are so many questions, so many things she longs to discuss despite her father’s constant nagging about not concerning herself with her opponent.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
