concentration

noun

con·​cen·​tra·​tion ˌkän(t)-sən-ˈtrā-shən 

-ˌsen-

1

a

: the act or process of concentrating : the state of being concentrated

especially : direction of attention to a single object

All that noise is disturbing my concentration.

b

: an academic major or area of focus within a major

The student chose law as his concentration.

2

: a concentrated mass or thing

a concentration of wealth in the merchant class

3

: the amount of a component in a given area or volume

The ozone concentration in the lower stratosphere has declined.

Synonyms

• absorption
• attention
• engrossment
• enthrallment
• immersion

Examples of concentration in a Sentence

All that noise is disturbing my concentration.

The job required her full concentration.

When you're tired it's easy to lose your concentration.

There was a concentration on ethics within the agency.

There is a concentration of wealth in the cities.

He objects to the concentration of power in the hands of a few rich men.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the Farm Safety Association, decomposing manure can produce hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide and high concentrations of these gases can be fatal to people and livestock. —CBS News, 14 June 2024

Munster notes, for example, that the effectiveness of pasteurization is both time and dose dependent, meaning the milk needs to be treated for a specific amount of time, and that milk containing higher concentrations of virus may require longer heat exposure to kill all of the virus. —Alice Park, TIME, 14 June 2024

Symptoms can include feeling hopeless, trouble sleeping, loss of energy, poor concentration, and feeling poorly about one’s self. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2024

Along with an intellectual property concentration and courses in entertainment law, the school hosts the UC Law SF Entertainment Law Society, connecting students with professionals across the industry. —Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

see concentrate entry 1

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing concentration

• concentration camp
• hyper-concentration

Kids Definition

concentration

noun

con·​cen·​tra·​tion ˌkän(t)-sən-ˈtrā-shən 

-sen-

1

: the act or process of concentrating : the state of being concentrated

especially : direction of attention on a single object

2

: a concentrated mass

3

: the amount of an ingredient or part in relation to that of others : strength

the concentration of salt in a solution

Medical Definition

concentration

noun

con·​cen·​tra·​tion ˌkän(t)-sən-ˈtrā-shən, -ˌsen- 

1

: the act or action of concentrating: as

a

: a directing of the attention or of the mental faculties toward a single object

b

: an increasing of strength (as of a solute or a gas in a mixture) or a purifying by partial or total removal of diluents, solvents, admixed gases, extraneous material, or waste (as by evaporation or diffusion)

2

: a crude active principle of a vegetable especially for pharmaceutical use in the form of a powder or resin

3

: the relative content of a component (as dissolved or dispersed material) of a solution, mixture, or dispersion that may be expressed in percentage by weight or by volume, in parts per million, or in grams per liter