concentrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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
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:
Sales growth was driven by a 4% increase in its sales of concentrate, which it sells to bottling partners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
More sulphate processing plants were expected to come on line by the time the ban on lithium concentrate exports comes into force in January 2027, he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Together, these characteristics allow the bacteria to concentrate where tumors are located while avoiding normal tissues.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
“It’s going to concentrate the fundraising over the next few years as well into these already very large names,” Stanford said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
How could anyone concentrate on geometry or algebra after seeing the beautiful face of that cub?
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
The shift further concentrates operational oversight among directors aligned with recent governance changes, including Chair Mary Filippelli.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Lamine Yamal prefers to let the media talk the talk while he concentrates on walking the walk, even with the constant Ballon d'Or chatter that has followed him since he was 16.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Because the metasurface itself concentrates the incoming radiation, external focusing components such as silicon lenses are unnecessary.
From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026
Net revenue increased 12% to $12.5 billion—mostly driven by strong sales of concentrates, the syrups and flavor mixtures Coca-Cola sells to its bottling partners—ahead of the $12.2 billion Wall Street had forecast.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
He concentrates on strong lines without shading, using a combination of pencil, pen, brown and black ink, and a reed pen that he made himself.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
The hottest conditions will be concentrated on Wednesday before a weather front moving through on Thursday will usher in fresher air, bringing a noticeable change in feel.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The right response depends on whether the shock remains concentrated or becomes embedded in the U.S. economy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
That was partly because astronomers concentrated their searches there, since all known supermassive black holes had been located at galaxy centers.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Wealthy investors are embracing 351 exchanges that convert concentrated stockholdings into diversified funds without capital gains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Hanako concentrated on looking like a normal person, just out for a stroll while dragging a big bag.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
With “Remake,” he looks back at that footage, concentrating on the images he shot of Adrian since his birth in 1989.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
In 2017, the US government pulled more than half of its staff from its embassy in Havana after employees and their families reported dizziness, nausea and difficulty concentrating.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Premium tiers sell out and premium prices rise because high-quality engagement demand is concentrating in a scarce set of premium acts,” the analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
In that case, taking a small amount of your money and concentrating it in a small number of stocks is harmless fun, and you might even end up owning the next Nvidia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Anya stared at the ground, concentrating on not crying, and thinking the same thought over and over: Not dead.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
