concern
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to relate to; be connected with; be of interest or importance to; affect.
The water shortage concerns us all.
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to interest or engage (used reflexively or in the passive, often followed by with orin ).
She concerns herself with every aspect of the business.
-
to trouble, worry, or disquiet.
I am concerned about his health.
- Synonyms:
- disturb
noun
-
something that relates or pertains to a person; business; affair.
Law is the concern of lawyers.
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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
-
worry, solicitude, or anxiety.
to show concern for someone in trouble.
- Antonyms:
- indifference
-
important relation or bearing.
This news is of concern to all of us.
-
a commercial or manufacturing company or establishment.
the headquarters of an insurance concern.
-
Informal. any material object or contrivance.
verb
-
to relate to; be of importance or interest to; affect
-
to involve or interest (oneself)
he concerns himself with other people's affairs
noun
-
something that affects or is of importance to a person; affair; business
-
regard for or interest in a person or a thing
he felt a strong concern for her
-
anxiety, worry, or solicitude
-
important bearing or relation
his news has great concern for us
-
a commercial company or enterprise
-
informal a material thing, esp one of which one has a low opinion
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.
- Used in a sentence: Fires are the concern of the fire department.
- 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.
- Used in a sentence: What my neighbors do to their lawn is no concern of mine.
- 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.
- 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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
concernsimple
-
concernssimple
-
have concernedperfect
-
has concernedperfect
-
am concerningprogressive
-
are concerningprogressive
-
is concerningprogressive
-
have been concerningperfect progressive
-
has been concerningperfect progressive
Past
-
concernedsimple
-
had concernedperfect
-
was concerningprogressive
-
were concerningprogressive
-
had been concerningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing concern
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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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:
"ICER has a budget impact threshold that estimates whether the uptake of a drug can lead to a budget impact concern," he said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Amid concern that kids playing in the streets would get hit by cars, Los Angeles made it a misdemeanor to play baseball, basketball, soccer or any other ball game on a street or sidewalk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
The latest jump in oil prices will be a concern for European Central Bank policymakers, who are due to announce a decision later on Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Horan thinks AT&T has a “few solid quarters” before pressure from Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite-internet division, becomes a major concern.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Blindness is always a concern with leprosy patients, but her vision is good.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
One of the FDA’s concerns is that the agency doesn’t have any information about the containers that would be used by compounding pharmacies to dispense the medication.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Days before, he had helped to write articles about security concerns involving a jet gifted to the U.S. by the Qatari government that was being used as Air Force One.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
They came after probes over forced labor concerns, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Those concerns should be addressed through targeted legal and commercial frameworks rather than sweeping restrictions on techniques that play an important role in AI innovation.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Ben claimed that it was really only a matter of knowing the right people to call, and the language in which to address their concerns.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
"But partners are concerned that this assurance may not hold."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Restaurant manager Eugene Ganly was initially concerned that people wouldn’t come because there were so many watch parties happening all over the county; Ganly said he was quickly proven wrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Was he so concerned with capturing his son’s malaise that he missed details he might’ve seen if one eye weren’t looking through the viewfinder?
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Abernethy is an incredible place for nature, and we are concerned about how wildlife may be faring," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
I had been concerned about combining six children with a lake, but I feel better when I see the setup.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
This is concerning, Jess Phillips told us: "Not even training your moderators on your website. They should be ashamed of themselves."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
And unlike cinema’s previous AI creations, Kakeru has no driving curiosity concerning whether he has a soul.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
That said, there’s also a fair question concerning whether Britain can be governed at all in any conventional sense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
This effect may be especially concerning for people who already have high blood pressure.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
I beg permission to have a few witnesses examined concerning my character, and if their testimony shall not overweigh my supposed guilt, I must be condemned, although I would pledge my salvation on my innocence.”
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
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.
