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

Researchers dug a series of small test pits to identify areas that held a dense concentration of artifacts, per CNN’s Katie Hunt. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024

Keep in mind that a higher concentration of vitamin C may lead to sensitivity, so sensitive skin types may want to stick to a lower percentage. —Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 11 Dec. 2024

There's also a risk of market concentration, with only a few dominant platforms emerging—similar to what has happened in the tech sector—and raising antitrust concerns. —Monica O'Reilly, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

Utah is home to most of America’s industrial banks, with 15 of the nation’s 23 located in Salt Lake County — a concentration unmatched anywhere else in the country. —Jake Callahan,carl Quintanilla, CNBC, 10 Dec. 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