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

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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”

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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

But inflation remains a key concern for both businesses and consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

On Thursday, Long Beach was most acutely affected and has been a main area of concern for weeks, Black said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

And that should concern any club that gets relegated and is not prepared for life in the Championship.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Our concern is that this rate of return may barely keep pace with inflation, and there may be better investment options available to the church.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

“Why wouldn’t they be?” he said, his eyebrows creased in concern.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

But other pressures also have played roles in recent rate volatility, including concerns about inflation, the large U.S. debt load and the barrage of debt issuance tied to the AI build-out this year.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

In early 2001, Alan Greenspan, then-chairman of the Federal Reserve, started raising concerns about the economic and market problems that could happen if the U.S. paid off all its public debt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Researchers found Stage 3 CTE, intensifying concerns about brain trauma in racing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Proposals for 14 regions to undergo mergers of smaller councils to form larger unitary authorities was put on hold by Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner last month, following concerns around legal challenges.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

So many of us, I was realizing, had the same struggles, the same concerns for our kids and worries about the future.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Google’s parent reported that its cloud revenue more than doubled, but investors were more concerned about the cash it’s spending on AI, and whether artificial intelligence could threaten the search business that funds it all.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

While supportive of high-speed rail, Becerra is concerned by the project’s delays and cost overruns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

"There are other disabled residents here, disabled children, elderly residents and lots of families. I'm very concerned."

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

"There is every reason for Palestinians to be concerned," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

In Japan, many families live in multigenerational households, and people were concerned about elderly parents and grandparents.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

They said planning approval was secured in 2023 and a contractor appointed, but changes introduced by the Building Safety Act concerning higher-risk buildings meant further approvals were required.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

While side effects are common with many treatments, researchers have identified a particularly concerning possibility involving drugs used to control inflammation.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

The time has come for the denial to stop concerning water in the West.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

As long as they adhere to price caps, agree to certain labor requirements and fix repairs that arise, they’re protected from lawsuits from buyers concerning defects 10 years after construction of the home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

The old man had a stooped back, a sagging belly, and a concerning amount of white hair peeking out of his ears.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

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Related Words

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

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