concentrate

1 of 2

verb

con·​cen·​trate ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrāt How to pronounce concentrate (audio)
-ˌsen-
concentrated; concentrating

transitive verb

1
a
: to bring or direct toward a common center or objective : focus
concentrate one's efforts
The lenses concentrate sunlight.
b
: to gather into one body, mass, or force
Power was concentrated in a few able hands.
concentrate the energy of a sound wave
c
: to accumulate (a toxic substance) in bodily tissues
Fish concentrate mercury.
2
a
: to make less dilute
concentrate syrup
b
: to express or exhibit in condensed form

intransitive verb

1
: to draw toward or meet in a common center
2
: gather, collect
Cuban immigrants who concentrate in Florida
3
: to focus one's powers, efforts, or attention
concentrate on a problem
Farmers are concentrating on the wheat harvest.
concentrative adjective

concentrate

2 of 2

noun

1
: something concentrated: such as
a
: a mineral-rich product obtained after an initial processing of ore
b
: a food reduced in bulk by elimination of fluid
orange juice concentrate
2
: a feedstuff (such as grains) relatively rich in digestible nutrients compare fiber

Examples of concentrate in a Sentence

Verb All that noise makes it hard to concentrate. The student has difficulty concentrating. The sauce should be simmered for a few minutes to concentrate its flavors. Noun a frozen orange juice concentrate Is this orange juice fresh or is it made from concentrate?
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
For the Pentagon, the exasperation comes down to a single, recurring issue: American military strategists, including Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, believe that Ukraine needs to concentrate its forces on one big fight at a time. Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Unfortunately, trying so hard to look pleasant kept me from being able to concentrate on anything else. Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 William Van Tassel, AAA’s head of driver training, recommends that drivers take extra steps to concentrate when driving on the other side. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 Regardless, Shrier believes Musk’s lawsuit reflects broader anxiety about the commercial success of OpenAI, which pledges in its founding charter to avoid enabling uses of AI or AGI that harm humanity or unduly concentrate power. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024 Deputies will concentrate on one intersection each day. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, Latinos concentrated their efforts in the Eastside and its adjoining suburbs, which effectively isolated Latino political power until the election of Antonio Villaraigosa as mayor in 2005. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 In a complaint filed in federal court in Portland, Oregon, the FTC said the combination of the two largest US supermarket chains would unduly concentrate the market, despite a proposal by the companies to sell off stores to Piggly Wiggly chain owner C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. Byleah Nylen, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2024 The capacity to produce highly tailored and engaging creative assets at scale and speed also enables marketers to concentrate on more business-critical strategic tasks, as well as harness their creative skills and human insight to develop compelling master creatives for AI tools to work from. Evgeny Popov, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
Capsules of dry concentrate were projected from diffusers under every third seat. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Best Spicy Umami: Yondu Hot & Spicy Umami A little of this fiery concentrate goes a long way in boosting savory flavor. Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2024 After scientists discovered how to make palatable OJ concentrate in the mid-40s, the drink was on its way to fame and fortune. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 8 Dec. 2023 Such labs use butane, a highly combustible gas commonly used in lighters and camp stoves, to extract a potent, waxy cannabis concentrate known as hash oil or honey oil from marijuana plants. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024 Alternately, make a tea concentrate by doubling the amount of tea leaves in hot tea, then pouring it over ice. Sarah Rose, wsj.com, 2 Nov. 2023 The mesh stainless steel will prevent grounds from getting into the cup while creating the coffee concentrate. Alida Nugent, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023 Tyson has partnered with professional cultivators across the country to produce cannabis flower, beverages, concentrates and edibles including Mike’s Bites, a weed gummy shaped like an ear with a bite taken out of it. A.j. Herrington, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Medical marijuana patients are allowed to possess up to 4 ounces of cannabis, 1 ounce of concentrate and 2 ounces of products. Dánica Coto, Quartz, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'concentrate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

com- + Latin centrum center

First Known Use

Verb

1628, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of concentrate was in 1628

Dictionary Entries Near concentrate

Cite this Entry

“Concentrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concentrate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

concentrate

1 of 2 verb
con·​cen·​trate ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrāt How to pronounce concentrate (audio)
-sen-
concentrated; concentrating
1
a
: to bring, direct, or come toward or meet in a common center or objective
concentrate one's efforts
b
: to gather into one body, mass, or force
2
: to increase the amount of a substance in a space by removing other substances with which it is mixed or in which it is dissolved
concentrate syrup
concentrate ore
3
: to fix one's powers, efforts, or attention on one thing
concentrate on a problem
concentrator
-ˌtrāt-ər
noun

concentrate

2 of 2 noun
: something concentrated
frozen orange juice concentrate

Medical Definition

concentrate

1 of 2 verb
con·​cen·​trate ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrāt, -ˌsen- How to pronounce concentrate (audio)
concentrated; concentrating

transitive verb

1
a
: to bring or direct toward a common center or objective : focus
b
: to accumulate (a toxic substance) in bodily tissues
fish concentrate mercury
2
: to make less dilute
concentrate syrup

intransitive verb

: to fix one's powers, efforts, or attention on one thing
concentrate on a problem
concentrator noun

concentrate

2 of 2 noun
: something prepared by concentration
especially : a food reduced in bulk by elimination of fluid
orange juice concentrate

More from Merriam-Webster on concentrate

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