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Synonyms

concoction

American  
[kon-kok-shuhn, kuhn-] / kɒnˈkɒk ʃən, kən- /

noun

  1. the act or process of concocting.

  2. something concocted.

    a delicious concoction of beans, rice, and meat.

    Synonyms:
    blend, medley, mixture

concoction British  
/ kənˈkɒkʃən /

noun

  1. the act or process of concocting

  2. something concocted

  3. an untruth; lie

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of concoction

1525–35; < Latin concoctiōn- (stem of concoctiō ) digestion, equivalent to concoct ( us ) ( see concoct) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A concoction is a curious mixture of things, like a bunch of liquids stirred in a cup, or the elaborate and unbelievable story you make up to explain not finishing your homework. Mix eight different liquids in a glass and you've got a concoction. Scientists create concoctions of chemicals in test tubes, and a bicycle made of junkyard scraps is a concoction too. The word’s Latin root means “cooked together,” referring to when you heat metals in order to purify them. A concoction is also a tall tale told to get out of trouble or entertain someone. If your story has ostriches, trampolines, lasers, and Abraham Lincoln, it’s probably a concoction.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing concoction

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.

Festive fare will include a Halloween Cupcake and Halloween Sugar Cookie, plus a chocolate brownie confection named Nemo and Squirt’s Noggin Concoction and a Liquid Nitro Cake Pop.

From Fox News • Aug. 29, 2020

Or went all-in on a brand partnership to sell a $499.99 Tahiti™ Frozen Concoction Maker®.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2018

Scalions, Aſcalonia, Cepæ; The French call them Appetites, which it notably quickens and ſtirs up: Corrects Crudities, and promotes Concoction.

From Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets by Evelyn, John

Beſides it is an approv'd Antiſcorbutick; aids Concoction, cuts and diſſipates Phlegmatick Humours.

From Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets by Evelyn, John

When it employ'd any Limb, then its Operation was Motion; and when it made use of the Liver, Nutrition and Concoction.

From The Improvement of Human Reason Exhibited in the Life of Hai Ebn Yokdhan by Tufail, Ibn