concentrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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concentrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
concentrated,
past participle, past
-
concentrating
present participle
-
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.
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to put or bring into a single place, group, etc..
The nation's wealth had been concentrated in a few families.
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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.
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Mining. to separate (metal or ore) from rock, sand, etc., so as to improve the quality of the valuable portion.
verb (used without object)
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concentrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
concentrated,
past participle, past
-
concentrating
present participle
-
to bring all efforts, faculties, activities, etc., to bear on one thing or activity (often followed by on orupon ).
to concentrate on solving a problem.
- Antonyms:
- diverge
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to come to or toward a common center; converge; collect.
The population concentrated in one part of the city.
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to become more intense, stronger, or purer.
noun
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concentrates
plural
verb
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to come or cause to come to a single purpose or aim
to concentrate one's hopes on winning
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to make or become denser or purer by the removal of certain elements, esp the solvent of a solution
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(tr) to remove rock or sand from (an ore) to make it purer
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to bring one's faculties to bear (on); think intensely (about)
noun
Synonym Usage
See contract.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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concentrativenessnoun
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concentratornoun
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nonconcentrativenessnoun
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preconcentratenoun
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overconcentrateverb
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reconcentrateverb
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concentrativeadjective
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nonconcentrativeadjective
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unconcentrativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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concentratesimple
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concentratessimple
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have concentratedperfect
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has concentratedperfect
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am concentratingprogressive
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are concentratingprogressive
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is concentratingprogressive
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have been concentratingperfect progressive
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has been concentratingperfect progressive
Past
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concentratedsimple
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had concentratedperfect
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was concentratingprogressive
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were concentratingprogressive
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had been concentratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of concentrate
First recorded in 1630–40; from French concentr(er) or Italian concentr(are) ( see con-, center) + -ate 1
Explanation
Concentrate means to make something stronger, denser, or more focused. If you concentrate your energy, for example, you become more powerful! Concentrate your efforts at digging, and you'll plant that shrub a lot faster. You may have seen the words "frozen concentrate" used to describe orange juice. That can of frozen orange goo is the juice in its purest, most condensed form — the concentrate — and it's much stronger and sweeter than the juice you'd drink. Another meaning of the verb concentrate refers to your mental focus. You might need to concentrate on what you're reading in order to understand it. When you concentrate, you strengthen your focus to shut out distractions.
Vocabulary lists containing concentrate
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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:
That’s the best part of the film’s fantasy aspects: Realism gives way to idealism, letting the story concentrate on its heart rather than its loins.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
This process would have helped concentrate water in the material from which Bennu formed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
He said Stelco President Paul Simon wrote to Joly to convey that conditions were getting worse and that the company would have to concentrate on hot-roll production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"Now you have the time to concentrate on yourself, on what you lost, what you need. Now it's our recovery or some kind of recovery as much as we can."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
How could anyone concentrate on geometry or algebra after seeing the beautiful face of that cub?
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
Dry heat browns, evaporates and concentrates while you go do something else.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Lawrence and others, concentrates on the young Brahms as the composer takes his first steps toward mastering all genres of music except opera.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The Lib Dem leader also addressed the potential threat posed by AI in his speech, saying that "handled badly, it concentrates more power in fewer hands than at any point in human history."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Most current guidance, however, concentrates on the total amount of time people spend sedentary.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Penny walks with such determination, her face alternating between frowns and smiles as she concentrates on marching down the path between our two houses, then climbing the front steps with both hands and both feet.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
Much of the earlier research on autism and face perception has concentrated on a brain signal called the N170.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
“These include a lack of a sustainable moat, highly concentrated revenue, intensifying constraints on the data center build-out that could limit their access to compute.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
“Investors should periodically review concentrated positions starting at around 5% to make sure their portfolio remains aligned with their goals, risk tolerance and long-term financial plan,” Knight said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
The separation of powers divides authority among the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government to prevent too much power from becoming concentrated in any one place.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026
Nathan concentrated and kept on thinking of water solidifying into ice.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
The technique works by concentrating laser energy into an extremely small region and delivering a sequence of ultrafast pulses.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
Investors spreading money across those businesses may be diversifying a company’s risk while concentrating exposure to one investment cycle.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
After initially concentrating on small-scale renovations, DIY SOS shifted focus to tackle a number of more ambitious projects throughout its multiple-decade run.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Leverage works great when asset prices rise, but concentrating a large share of your wealth in a single, illiquid, undiversified asset also magnifies downside risk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Penelope chewed on a piece of hay, concentrating very hard.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
