concentration

[ kon-suh n-trey-shuh n ]

/ ˌkɒn sənˈtreɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR concentration ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of concentrating; the state of being concentrated.

exclusive attention to one object; close mental application.

something concentrated: a concentration of stars.

Military.

the assembling of military or naval forces in a particular area in preparation for further operations.
a specified intensity and duration of artillery fire placed on a small area.

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

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

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.

Nearby words

Origin of concentration

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

Related formshy·per·con·cen·tra·tion, nounnon·con·cen·tra·tion, nouno·ver·con·cen·tra·tion, nounpre·con·cen·tra·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for concentration

Within a concentration camp, would someone make a joke about the number, the tattooed number?
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is important in the concentration process, which takes place by means of an extraordinarily measured period of boiling.
When It Comes to Great Whisky, The Size of Your Still Matters||December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The concentration of PM2.5, the smallest particulate matter, is at 153 micrograms per cubic meter.
Beijing’s ‘Star Trek’ APEC Summit|Jake Adelstein|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At any moment, the slightest loss in concentration could see a disastrous tumble.
How the Circus Got a Social Conscience|Justin Jones|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She described the influence of her mother, a concentration camp survivor.
Live from San Antonio: Women in the World Texas!|Women in the World|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In this way salts act in two quite different directions according to the concentration of the slip.
The Natural History of Clay|Alfred B. Searle
Concentration is the prime requisite in attaining rapid results.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
He has the constitution of a rhinoceros, the digestion of an ostrich, and the concentration of an oyster.
Little Dorrit|Charles Dickens
An intelligent prayer in this light is the concentration of thought on a subject, or a definite realization.
The Mystic Will|Charles Godfrey Leland
She continued this with a certain sedateness and concentration until the tassel went beyond her reach and caught in the curtain.
Children of the Desert|Louis Dodge

British Dictionary definitions for concentration

concentration

/ (ˌkɒnsənˈtreɪʃən) /

noun

intense mental application; complete attention

the act or process of concentrating

something that is concentrated

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)Symbol: c

the process of increasing the concentration of a solution

military

the act of bringing together military forces
the application of fire from a number of weapons against a target

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

another name (esp US) for Pelmanism

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

Word Origin and History for concentration

concentration

1630s, "action of bringing to a center," noun of action from verb concentrate (v.). Meaning "a mass so collected" is from 1670s; "continuous focus of mental activity" is from 1846.

Medicine definitions for concentration