concern

American  

[kuhn-surn] / kənˈsɜrn /

verb (used with object)

• concerns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• concerned,
  past participle,  past
• concerning
  present participle

1. to relate to; be connected with; be of interest or importance to; affect.

   The water shortage concerns us all.

   Synonyms:

   involve, touch

2. to interest or engage (used reflexively or in the passive, often followed by with orin ).

   She concerns herself with every aspect of the business.

3. to trouble, worry, or disquiet.

   I am concerned about his health.

   Synonyms:

   disturb

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noun

• concerns
  plural

1. something that relates or pertains to a person; business; affair.

   Law is the concern of lawyers.

2. a matter that engages a person's attention, interest, or care, or that affects a person's welfare or happiness.

   The party was no concern of his.

   Synonyms:

   responsibility, burden

3. worry, solicitude, or anxiety.

   to show concern for someone in trouble.

   Antonyms:

   indifference

4. important relation or bearing.

   This news is of concern to all of us.

5. a commercial or manufacturing company or establishment.

   the headquarters of an insurance concern.

   Synonyms:

   house, firm

6. Informal. any material object or contrivance.

concern British  

/ kənˈsɜːn /

verb

1. to relate to; be of importance or interest to; affect

2. to involve or interest (oneself)

   he concerns himself with other people's affairs

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noun

1. something that affects or is of importance to a person; affair; business

2. regard for or interest in a person or a thing

   he felt a strong concern for her

3. anxiety, worry, or solicitude

4. important bearing or relation

   his news has great concern for us

5. a commercial company or enterprise

6. informal a material thing, esp one of which one has a low opinion

concern Idioms  

1. see as far as that goes (is concerned); to whom it may concern.

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Usage

What is a basic definition of concern? Concern means to relate to or to affect, to interest or engage, or to worry. Concern also has several senses as a noun. If an issue or problem concerns someone, it means that it involves them or will affect them personally.

• Real-life examples: The price of gas concerns drivers. Stock market prices concern investors. Global warming concerns everyone.
• Used in a sentence: Our conversation doesn’t concern you, so leave us alone. 

As a noun, this sense of concern means something that is closely related to something else or something that is a main focus.

• Used in a sentence: Fires are the concern of the fire department. 

Concern can also mean to interest someone or draw their attention. In this sense, it is often followed by with or in.

• Real-life examples: You might concern yourself with your friend’s problem because you care about them. When you’re taking a test, your teacher might remind students to be concerned only with their own papers. Your parents concern themselves with your health.
• Used in a sentence: Chuck doesn’t concern himself with other people’s problems. 

Concern is used as a noun in this sense to mean a matter or issue that a person cares about.

• Used in a sentence: What my neighbors do to their lawn is no concern of mine. 

Lastly, concern means to worry or cause anxiety.

• Real-life examples: You might be concerned about your grades. Politicians are often concerned about whether voters will keep voting for them. Your friend might be concerned about whether you both make the basketball team.
• Used in a sentence: Her brother’s failing health really concerns Joelene,  and she has been losing sleep over it. 

As a noun, concern is a synonym of words such as worry or anxiety.

• Used in a sentence: We try to ease parents’ concern by showing them that the school is completely safe and monitored. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overconcern
  noun
• preconcern
  noun
• self-concern
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• concerns
  plural

Participles

• concerning
  present
• concerned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• concern
  simple
• concerns
  simple
• have concerned
  perfect
• has concerned
  perfect
• am concerning
  progressive
• are concerning
  progressive
• is concerning
  progressive
• have been concerning
  perfect progressive
• has been concerning
  perfect progressive

Past

• concerned
  simple
• had concerned
  perfect
• was concerning
  progressive
• were concerning
  progressive
• had been concerning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will concern
  simple
• will have concerned
  perfect
• will be concerning
  progressive
• will have been concerning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of concern

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English concernen, from Middle French concerner, from Medieval Latin concernere “to relate to, distinguish,” from Late Latin: “to mix for sifting,” from Latin con- con- + cernere “to decide, separate, sift”

Explanation

Concern is both a noun and a verb. As a noun it's something that you find particularly important. If you love pizza, getting the crust just so is a major concern during your pizza party. Concern can also be something or someone that makes you upset or anxious, like your concern over the quality of the pizza crust. It can be a feeling of sympathy, like when your mom expresses concern over your obsession with pizza crust. As a verb, concern means to be relevant to something. Your main goal today may concern studying for your math test. Concern can also describe worry. When you stay out past curfew, your mom will be concerned.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

concern concerns concerned concerning

Even at a young age, he made sure to concern himself with the minor nuances of the playbook and the receiver position.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

"There was great concern about air quality and the impact on elderly people and those suffering with respiratory issues such as emphysema and COPD."

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

That would make the U.S. dollar less attractive, with concern that investors in long-term Treasurys might not be getting enough compensation for inflation under such a scenario, he explained.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Honeybees also pollinate about one-third of the world's food crops, making colony losses a concern for both agricultural productivity and food security.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

“Because you’re no longer the concern of the juvenile courts,” he said.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Five years since the Taliban began their second stint in power, poverty, unemployment and economic instability remain pressing concerns.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

A prominent Latino group is raising fresh concerns about Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

When Indonesia first announced plans to integrate processes for the exports of key resources, it stoked concerns about state intervention that would disrupt the flow of commodities like coal and palm oil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

This is mainly due to concerns about people offering unsuitable foods and birds becoming dependent on humans.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

Ignoring their concerns, he shouted that he didn’t pay them to ask questions, but to follow his orders.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

“Folks who really think about coastal risks are very concerned that the single-highest sea levels on record are quite possible this winter in California,” said Daniel Swain, a UC climate scientist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Ofcom would not comment on any investigation but said it treated complaints in strict confidence and would not "publicly confirm the identities of individuals concerned".

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

"At this stage, no official requests or notifications have been received by the Embassy or the Consulate General in Sydney, either from the Australian authorities or from the individual concerned," the embassy said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Vladimir Putin is also concerned about dissent from members of his elite—with good cause—as the dismissal on Sunday of Andrei Klepach, chief economist at the Russian state-owned development bank VEB, demonstrates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

I don’t want to have this caring, concerned friendship; I don’t want her to suggest another breakfast, another diner.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

“The fact that our seas will be higher than average is a very concerning factor for coastal erosion and wave impact on cliffs and other structures near the coast, for coastal flooding,” Warrick said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Dillon said the "deeply concerning" Swans scandal had again thrust into focus "our responsibilities as a sport".

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Some of the week’s economic gauges also painted a concerning picture of the market, including home-builder sentiment, which remains depressed and below the break-even level of 50 since April 2024.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Since then, more parents have contacted us and their stories have concerning similarities.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Several weeks after the funeral, a man who’d been arrested in Kansas for check forgery sent a letter to Sheriff Freas claiming that he had information concerning Anna’s murder.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Related Words

• care
• concernment
• consideration
• heed
• interest
• regard
• solicitousness
• solicitude