concentrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
concentrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
concentrated,
past participle, past
-
concentrating
present participle
-
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.
-
to put or bring into a single place, group, etc..
The nation's wealth had been concentrated in a few families.
-
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.
-
Mining. to separate (metal or ore) from rock, sand, etc., so as to improve the quality of the valuable portion.
verb (used without object)
-
concentrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
concentrated,
past participle, past
-
concentrating
present participle
-
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
-
to come to or toward a common center; converge; collect.
The population concentrated in one part of the city.
-
to become more intense, stronger, or purer.
noun
-
concentrates
plural
verb
-
to come or cause to come to a single purpose or aim
to concentrate one's hopes on winning
-
to make or become denser or purer by the removal of certain elements, esp the solvent of a solution
-
(tr) to remove rock or sand from (an ore) to make it purer
-
to bring one's faculties to bear (on); think intensely (about)
noun
Synonym Usage
See contract.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
concentrativenessnoun
-
concentratornoun
-
nonconcentrativenessnoun
-
preconcentratenoun
-
overconcentrateverb
-
reconcentrateverb
-
concentrativeadjective
-
nonconcentrativeadjective
-
unconcentrativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
concentratesimple
-
concentratessimple
-
have concentratedperfect
-
has concentratedperfect
-
am concentratingprogressive
-
are concentratingprogressive
-
is concentratingprogressive
-
have been concentratingperfect progressive
-
has been concentratingperfect progressive
Past
-
concentratedsimple
-
had concentratedperfect
-
was concentratingprogressive
-
were concentratingprogressive
-
had been concentratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of concentrate
First recorded in 1630–40; from French concentr(er) or Italian concentr(are) ( see 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.
Vocabulary lists containing concentrate
Holes
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Think Like Sherlock: It's Elementary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
"We're able to take them off, concentrate them and then detect them and see what's present within them."
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Previous research has associated metabolites produced during protein fermentation with effects on the brain, including anxiety and reduced ability to concentrate.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
Spot treatment charges have also fallen to fresh lows, pointing to continued tightness in the concentrate market, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
He said dancing brings him "alive" and was not only physically good for people, but mentally, as you "concentrate on what you're doing".
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
She tried to move closer to the table with the elixir bottles, but she had to concentrate on keeping the Quassia vines wrapped around Gia.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Dry heat browns, evaporates and concentrates while you go do something else.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Lib Dem leader also addressed the potential threat posed by AI in his speech, saying that "handled badly, it concentrates more power in fewer hands than at any point in human history."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The focus was on raw concentrates of the rechargeable battery ingredient lithium, with most of its hundreds of thousands of tons of annual production shipped out to China, the world's largest maker of electric vehicles.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Marine cloud brightening concentrates particles close to Earth's surface in one specific region.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
But I’m busy watching Violet as she concentrates on the chalkboard, the corner of her mouth still turned up.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
Globally, the copper market is expected to face a surplus this year, but that is concentrated in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The researchers suggest that the knowledge remained concentrated within a small group of craftspeople who worked closely together.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
The US Nasdaq closed at a fresh peak thanks to rallies in tech giants including Nvidia, SpaceX and Meta, though observers pointed out that the market gains were increasingly concentrated on a few stocks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
The details around his physical condition are particularly consequential because Xi has concentrated extraordinary power in his hands while designating no successor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Sammy still concentrated on the water below the rock.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
The rapid empire building has stirred unease in Hollywood, where filmmakers and other talent worry that concentrating so much production and distribution under one owner could give them fewer places to sell their work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
While Walker admits two-show days can be tiring and she spends a lot of time concentrating on “energy conservation,” the performance itself is a joy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
He also said that the company would be concentrating jobs in key hubs, with global teams mainly in New York and San Francisco.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
In the newer study, Rajaonarison again used 3D thermomechanical modeling, this time concentrating specifically on the unexplained rift-parallel deformation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
She has been so busy concentrating on her ball that she hasn’t noticed the ridiculous sight behind her.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
