concentrate

1 of 2

verb

con·​cen·​trate ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrāt 

-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

ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrā-tiv 

-ˌsen-

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

Synonyms

Verb

• condense

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

What’s more, some 2 million people across England and Scotland are still suffering from symptoms of long COVID, according to government figures published this week, the symptoms of which can include weakness, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, and muscle aches. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024

Aging concentrates the flavors and tenderizes the meat and fat. —Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

Some characteristics of postpartum mood disorder, however, are feeling depressed, struggling to concentrate, trouble sleeping, and shifts in appetite. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 15 Apr. 2024

Now that Mizuhara is facing 30 years in prison, Ohtani can now strictly concentrate on facing pitchers. —Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024

So, when speeding up, concentrate on taking shorter and quicker strides. —Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024

So Harry and his team are exploring the trade-offs and developing a lot of new cells that are much cheaper and lighter: Cells made with thin films of perovskites or semiconductors like gallium arsenide, cells that use quantum dots, or use waveguides or other optics to concentrate the light. —IEEE Spectrum, 11 Apr. 2024

Those conditions are ideal for concentrating, and revealing, meteorites that have fallen over millenniums. —Katherine Kornei, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024

When portraying such deeply sensitive issues, Green and Abela chose to simply concentrate on the small things. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024

Noun

And while the main active ingredient in most of these is the same—either whey protein concentrate or whey protein isolate—these powders can actually vary quite a lot in taste and texture depending on what other flavorings, sweeteners, and supplements are added to the mix. —Alaina Chou, Bon Appétit, 8 Apr. 2024

At the same grove where the oranges were harvested, there was a plant to produce frozen orange juice concentrate. —Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024

The chips will also have a higher concentrate Madagascar vanilla extract. —Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024

Many use concentrates or powders – Starbucks’ popular chai latte is made with pumps of chai concentrate. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024

So when that comes on stream, that will be a wonderful opportunity for American companies, who may not be able at that moment or may not want to invest in a full processing stream, to sell concentrate to Lynas’ processing facility in Texas. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2023

Formulated from a supercharged blend of novel anti-pigmentation actives at 14% concentration and 8 natural antioxidants sourced from the Swiss Alps, this potent concentrate works against the appearance of all types of dark spots and imperfections. —Angela Lei, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

Baby formula is available in powdered form, liquid concentrate, or ready-to-use liquid. —Lainey Younkin, Ms, Rd, Parents, 15 Mar. 2024

The lead concentrate is expected to contain 47% lead and average 3,140 g/t silver over the LOM. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Feb. 2024

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

Phrases Containing concentrate

• concentrate the/your mind
• fish protein concentrate

Kids Definition

concentrate

1 of 2 verb

con·​cen·​trate ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrāt 

-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- 

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

-ˌtrāt-ər 

noun

concentrate

2 of 2 noun

: something prepared by concentration

especially : a food reduced in bulk by elimination of fluid

orange juice concentrate