concentrate

[kon-suhn-treyt]

verb (used with object), con·cen·trat·ed, con·cen·trat·ing.

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), con·cen·trat·ed, con·cen·trat·ing.

to bring all efforts, faculties, activities, etc., to bear on one thing or activity (often followed by on or upon): to concentrate on solving a problem.

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

a concentrated form of something; a product of concentration: a juice concentrate.

Origin of concentrate

1630–40; concentr(ic) + -ate²; compare French concentrer, Italian concentrare

Related formscon·cen·tra·tive

[kon-suhn-trey-tiv, kuhn-sen-truh-] /ˈkɒn sənˌtreɪ tɪv, kənˈsɛn trə-/, adjectivecon·cen·tra·tive·ness, nouncon·cen·tra·tor, nounnon·con·cen·tra·tive, adjectivenon·con·cen·tra·tive·ness, nouno·ver·con·cen·trate, verb, o·ver·con·cen·trat·ed, o·ver·con·cen·trat·ing.pre·con·cen·trate, noun, verb, pre·con·cen·trat·ed, pre·con·cen·trat·ing.re·con·cen·trate, verb, re·con·cen·trat·ed, re·con·cen·trat·ing.un·con·cen·tra·tive, adjective

Synonym study

1. See contract.

Antonyms for concentrate

1. dissipate, disperse. 5. diverge.

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

Examples from the Web for concentrator

Historical Examples of concentrator

It is the province of a concentrator to materialize these possibilities.
Professor Huskins
Lettie M. Cummings
The vapors from the top of the column pass off to the wash heater or to a concentrator.
A Practical Handbook on the Distillation of Alcohol from Farm Products
F. B. Wright
The concentrator consists of a tank containing water within which is supported a vessel F having double walls.
A Practical Handbook on the Distillation of Alcohol from Farm Products
F. B. Wright
Along in the early 70s he erected the first concentrator in the Rocky mountains284 on the Rumley mine.
Then and Now
Robert Vaughn
A few minutes ago I decided to reverse my concentrator and aim at a higher goal.
'Charge It'
Irving Bacheller

British Dictionary definitions for concentrator

concentrate

verb

to come or cause to come to a single purpose or aimto 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

(intr often foll by on) to bring one's faculties to bear (on); think intensely (about)

noun

a concentrated material or solutiontomato concentrate

Derived Formsconcentrator, noun

Word Origin for concentrate

C17: back formation from concentration, ultimately from Latin com- same + centrum centre

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 concentrator

concentrate

1630s, "to bring or come to a common center," from concenter (1590s), from Italian concentrare, from Latin com- "together" (see com-) + centrum "center" (see center). Meaning "condense" is from 1680s. Sense of "mentally focus" is c.1860. Related: Concentrated; concentrating.

concentrate

1883, from concentrate (v.).