concentration

American  

[kon-suhn-trey-shuhn] / ˌkɒn sənˈtreɪ ʃən /

noun

• concentrations
  plural

1. the act of concentrating; the state of being concentrated.

2. exclusive attention to one object; close mental application.

3. something concentrated.

   a concentration of stars.

4. Military.

   1. the assembling of military or naval forces in a particular area in preparation for further operations.

   2. a specified intensity and duration of artillery fire placed on a small area.

5. the focusing of a student's academic program on advanced study in a specific subject or field.

6. Chemistry. (in a solution) a measure of the amount of dissolved substance contained per unit of volume.

7. Also called memory.  Cards. a game in which all 52 cards are spread out face down on the table and each player in turn exposes two cards at a time and replaces them face down if they do not constitute a pair, the object being to take the most pairs by remembering the location of the cards previously exposed.

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concentration British  

/ ˌkɒnsənˈtreɪʃən /

noun

1. intense mental application; complete attention

2. the act or process of concentrating

3. something that is concentrated

4.  c.  the strength of a solution, esp the amount of dissolved substance in a given volume of solvent, usually expressed in moles per cubic metre or cubic decimetre (litre)

5. the process of increasing the concentration of a solution

6. military

   1. the act of bringing together military forces

   2. the application of fire from a number of weapons against a target

7. economics the degree to which the output or employment in an industry is accounted for by only a few firms

8. another name (esp US) for Pelmanism

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concentration Scientific  

/ kŏn′sən-trā′shən /

1. The amount of a particular substance in a given amount of another substance, especially a solution or mixture.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hyperconcentration
  noun
• nonconcentration
  noun
• overconcentration
  noun
• preconcentration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• concentrations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of concentration

First recorded in 1625–35; concentr(ic) + -ation

Explanation

If you have great powers of concentration, that means you're able to focus all your attention on the matter at hand. Concentration can also refer to something that's clustered together or to the density or strength of a solution. A concentration of people means that there are many of them in one area. Your city may have a concentration of artists living in the warehouses by the river. A high concentration of a substance in a solution means that there's a lot of it relative to the volume: the Great Salt Lake has very few fish because of the high concentration of salt. To say that you have good concentration skills means that you pay attention well.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

concentration concentrations

But the greatest concentration of farms is along the 19-mile tidal Damariscotta, the site of oyster feasts for thousands of years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Official monitoring in 2025 recorded an annual average concentration of fine particles in Obilic's air more than twice the level recommended by the World Health Organization.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

That concentration suggests that some older adults may be mounting sustained responses to ongoing immune challenges.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

Growing up in Stockton, where a high concentration of braceros tended fields, Huerta said witnessing the workers’ subpar conditions drove her early activism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Penelope paced the slippery floor in deep concentration, for her powers of deduction were at full throttle.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

These environmental differences produced notable changes in the proteins made by the cells, the concentrations of metabolites inside them, and the thickness of the sugar-derived layer covering their surfaces.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026

Many investors also have high concentrations of their portfolios in stocks because of the long bull market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

She spent two days sampling her way through one of the state’s greatest concentrations of oyster farms, each with its own distinct taste.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Kuwait hosts one of the region's largest concentrations of American troops, with US forces active in airfields, bases and training grounds.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

California sportsmen have enjoyed excellent hunting because of the concentrations of waterfowl and pheasants in the rice fields.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• absorption
• combination
• consolidation