concentration

[ kon-suhn-trey-shuhn ]

/ ˌkɒn sənˈtreɪ ʃən /

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See 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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of concentration

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

OTHER WORDS FROM concentration

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

Words nearby concentration

concelebration, concent, concenter, concentrate, concentrated, concentration, concentration camp, concentration cell, concentration gradient, concentrative, concentre

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use concentration in a sentence

He brands that much concentration in extremely expensive stocks as “dangerous.”
The champ’s big comeback: Why beaten-down value stocks are poised to thrive|Shawn Tully|August 18, 2020|Fortune
I’m a force for innovation, encouraging the concentration of high-tech and other industries.
Admit it: You miss being stuck in traffic|matthewheimer|August 17, 2020|Fortune
Some critics are calling for Google and Facebook to be broken up or have recent acquisitions “unwound” to promote competition and reduce the concentration of power.
Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook set to preview antitrust defenses before Congress|Greg Sterling|July 28, 2020|Search Engine Land
It may be the greatest concentration of wealth on a single video call the world has yet seen.
How much money will be in the room during big tech CEOs’ congressional testimony?|Nicolás Rivero|July 24, 2020|Quartz

It turns out there is quite a concentration of microbial life in the bottom of sea ice.
He Found ‘Islands of Fertility’ Beneath Antarctica’s Ice|Steve Nadis|July 20, 2020|Quanta Magazine
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
You want less concentration in banking—at least the type that will screw the little guy and imperil the economy?
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's slow and arduous and takes great concentration under the best of circumstances.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 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 Great Lakes states, for example, boast the largest concentration of engineering jobs (more than 318,000) of any major region.
The Rustbelt Roars Back From the Dead|Joel Kotkin, Richey Piiparinen|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His idea was that there would be ample time later to order a concentration on either wing or on the centre.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Such concentration is very exhausting, and after two or three hours' practice I feel as if I should drop off the chair.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Hemmed in on all sides by the enemy, concentration of all his detachments for general retreat was impossible.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Macdonald was entrusted with this duty, and was further required to cover the concentration of Championnet's army.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
This object became her passion, and she devoted herself to it with the concentration of every energy of mind and heart.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott

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

Scientific definitions for concentration

concentration

[ kŏn′sən-trā′shən ]

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

concentration

Origin of concentration

OTHER WORDS FROM concentration

Words nearby concentration

Words related to concentration

How to use concentration in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for concentration

Scientific definitions for concentration