concentrate

American  

[kon-suhn-treyt] / ˈkɒn sənˌtreɪt /

verb (used with object)

concentrated, concentrating

1. to bring or draw to a common center or point of union; converge; direct toward one point; focus.

   to concentrate one's attention on a problem; to concentrate the rays of the sun with a lens.

   Antonyms:

   disperse, dissipate

2. to put or bring into a single place, group, etc..

   The nation's wealth had been concentrated in a few families.

3. to intensify; make denser, stronger, or purer, especially by the removal or reduction of liquid.

   to concentrate fruit juice; to concentrate a sauce by boiling it down.

4. Mining. to separate (metal or ore) from rock, sand, etc., so as to improve the quality of the valuable portion.

---

verb (used without object)

concentrated, concentrating

1. to bring all efforts, faculties, activities, etc., to bear on one thing or activity (often followed by on orupon ).

   to concentrate on solving a problem.

   Antonyms:

   diverge

2. to come to or toward a common center; converge; collect.

   The population concentrated in one part of the city.

3. to become more intense, stronger, or purer.

noun

1. a concentrated form of something; a product of concentration.

   a juice concentrate.

concentrate British  

/ ˈkɒnsənˌtreɪt /

verb

1. to come or cause to come to a single purpose or aim

   to concentrate one's hopes on winning

2. to make or become denser or purer by the removal of certain elements, esp the solvent of a solution

3. (tr) to remove rock or sand from (an ore) to make it purer

4. to bring one's faculties to bear (on); think intensely (about)

---

noun

1. a concentrated material or solution

   tomato concentrate

Related Words

See contract.

Other Word Forms

• concentrative adjective
• concentrativeness noun
• concentrator noun
• nonconcentrative adjective
• nonconcentrativeness noun
• overconcentrate verb
• preconcentrate noun
• reconcentrate verb
• unconcentrative adjective

Etymology

Origin of concentrate

First recorded in 1630–40; from French concentr(er) or Italian concentr(are) ( con-, center ) + -ate ¹

Explanation

Concentrate means to make something stronger, denser, or more focused. If you concentrate your energy, for example, you become more powerful! Concentrate your efforts at digging, and you'll plant that shrub a lot faster. You may have seen the words "frozen concentrate" used to describe orange juice. That can of frozen orange goo is the juice in its purest, most condensed form — the concentrate — and it's much stronger and sweeter than the juice you'd drink. Another meaning of the verb concentrate refers to your mental focus. You might need to concentrate on what you're reading in order to understand it. When you concentrate, you strengthen your focus to shut out distractions.

Example Sentences

An umami anchor follows: miso, a spoonful of broth concentrate, a shower of cheese.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

"We're just going to have to decide and concentrate on threat, harm and risk where there is more of a risk to the public than those lower-level cases," he says.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Exports from Zimbabwe remain suspended at end-March after its decision last month to impose a lithium concentrate export ban, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

At the same time, M proteins can also cause the blood to thicken and concentrate in urine, both of which can cause renal problems.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026

There really should be a rule against having to go to :re is absolutely no way you can concentrate.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Related Words

• accumulate
• cluster
• combine
• consolidate
• eliminate
• focus
• integrate
• intensify
• reduce
• strengthen