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

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Now into the final year of his contract, which United have the option to extend to the summer of 2028, a continued over-reliance on Fernandes is a concern.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

The technology is still so nascent that an existential threat looks like a distant concern, some say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

After weighing laboratory, animal, and other evidence, the panel concluded that sucralose's use as a food additive did not raise a genotoxicity concern.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

That’s between two-to-three times the EU safety threshold—but still substantially lower than the point at which glycidyl esters have been shown to be a concern.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

He stops in the doorway, concern written over every inch of his face.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

“Big Short” investor Michael Burry, who has been bearish on the AI trade, dismissed Amodei and Altman’s concerns as “self-serving” and “puffery” ahead of planned initial public offerings.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

“It eventually created a hostile environment for us, to intimidate us. It said that Palestinian students didn’t matter, that our concerns are unworthy of task forces, of investigations, of any protection.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

One researcher investigating AI’s effects on children has expressed concerns of “cognitive stunting” — critical thinking skills prohibited from developing, just as physical growth can be stymied by malnutrition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

But then again, you need to spend even more money on a decent PC if you want to benefit from that - which doesn't help with concerns about price.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Where to park overnight is one of their largest concerns, they quickly discovered.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

In late August, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh used his remarks at the Jackson Hole economic symposium to signal that he was concerned about inflation trends.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

“We are deeply concerned about the allegations and remain focused on protecting the safety of our students,” the statement read.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

A dentist says he's "deeply concerned" by illegal dental tourism "pop-up" consultations in Northern Irish hotels, which aren't properly registered.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

So when Min Zin was invited by a Chinese professor to attend a workshop on economic cooperation in June in southwestern China, his family wasn’t concerned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Aunt Melissa places a concerned hand on his leg.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Several consecutive months of accelerating inflation would be much more concerning.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

The most concerning product that CR tested in terms of glycidyl esters was Takis Fuego tortilla chips.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

The education ministry expressed "profound sadness" in a statement on Thursday, noting that the tragedy "followed a particularly concerning series of fires in Bukavu".

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

How concerning is it that that's happening across a different set of regulations?

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

For one thing, I was certain its body of knowledge concerning plane curves, angles, and polygons would help me design my rockets.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

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