concentrate

verb con·cen·trate \ ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrāt , -ˌsen- \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Examples: concentrate in a Sentence

Definition of concentrate

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.

—

concentratedly

play \ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrā-təd-lē, -ˌsen-; ˌkän(t)-sən-ˈtrā-\ adverb

—

concentrative

play \ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrā-tiv, -ˌsen-\ adjective

See concentrate defined for English-language learners

See concentrate defined for kids

Examples of concentrate in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of concentrate from the Web

The effect was concentrated among those from poor families, and was not seen in the parents.

— kevin lewis, BostonGlobe.com, "Electoral impacts of robot workers," 13 July 2018
Constitutional change is a tool that has been widely used in Latin America by leftist populists to shape the country along their agenda, including concentrating power.

— juan montes, WSJ, "Mexico’s New President-elect Close to Supermajority in Congress," 5 July 2018
Most of the oldest workers are concentrated in just 26 of the 455 occupations tracked by the Census Bureau data.

— andrew van dam, latimes.com, "A record number of folks age 85 and older are working. Here's what they're doing," 5 July 2018
The memory chip market has been increasingly concentrated in the hands of Micron and its two South Korean rivals, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

— debby wu, The Seattle Times, "Micron chip sales banned in China in patent case, rival UMC says," 3 July 2018
The bulk of the unmet capital needs, about 40 percent, are concentrated in apartment improvements, including repair and replacement of bathtubs, toilets and sinks.

— New York Times, "What Will It Cost to Fix New York’s Public Housing?," 2 July 2018
The cities with the lowest unemployment rates are concentrated in the Bay Area.

— phillip reese, sacbee, "Unemployment is below 4% in most California cities. See the rate in your town," 27 June 2018
The pyrotechnics are concentrated in a small part of the sky for maximum effect, and the show lasts 18 minutes.

— jenna scherer, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best 4th of July Fireworks in the USA," 27 June 2018
What began as a matter of national debate soon was concentrated down to children's cries in the dark.

— CBS News, "Roger Rosenblatt on why the family separation crisis touches us all," 24 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'concentrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of concentrate

com- + Latin centrum center

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1628

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

concentrate Synonyms

Phrases

get together;

concentrate

noun

Definition of concentrate

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

See concentrate defined for English-language learners

Examples of concentrate in a Sentence

a frozen orange juice concentrate
Is this orange juice fresh or is it made from concentrate?

Recent Examples of concentrate from the Web

On a recent visit, Lynas technicians mixed rare earth concentrate, which looks to the untrained eye like unremarkable dirt, into chemical tanks that extract elements like lanthanum and cerium.

— alexandra stevenson, New York Times, "How Rare Earths (What?) Could Be Crucial in a U.S.-China Trade War," 11 July 2018
This year, the grocery chain tackled the pricey seasonal coffee trend with six different offerings — spanning from ready-to-drink cans to long-lasting bottles of concentrate — and each is the definition of a summer budget saver.

— elizabeth buxton, refinery29.com, "We Sipped Every Cold Brew At Trader Joe's & This Is Our Favorite," 27 June 2018
To prepare marinade, whisk together oil, orange juice concentrate, sugar, vinegar, water, mustard, salt, and pepper until sugar is dissolved.

— darlene zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, "Healthy Table: Load up on asparagus for its healthy dose of folate and antioxidants," 15 Apr. 2018
Workers receive training on the types of products available, which may include capsules, vaporizers, oil concentrates and topical creams.

— marcia heroux pounds, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Want a job legally selling pot? You could be in luck: Florida's medical marijuana industry is beginning to take off," 25 June 2018
At Fast Grass police seized 11 pounds of marijuana, $1,800 in cash, edibles and concentrates, and arrested two employees for operating with no business license and marijuana sales.

— greg moran, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Police raid illegal pot dispensaries, arresting eight and seizing cash, products," 15 June 2018
For a shortcut, substitute frozen limeade concentrate for the lime juice and sugar.

— SI.com, "Classic Margarita," 25 Jan. 2018
There’s also 20 percent off all concentrates as well as selected eighths on special for $25.

— emma silvers, San Francisco Chronicle, "Your guide to the best bars to hit on Pride weekend," 14 June 2018
The not-from-concentrate products are made without artificial flavors or preservatives.

— katherine feser, Houston Chronicle, "Simply Beverages division of Coca-Cola unveils new light juice products," 21 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of concentrate

see ¹concentrate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1871

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

CONCENTRATE Defined for English Language Learners

concentrate

verb

Definition of concentrate for English Language Learners

: to think about something : to give your attention to the thing you are doing, reading, etc.
: to cause (attention, efforts, strength, etc.) to be used or directed for a single purpose
: to make (something, such as a liquid) stronger by removing water

concentrate

noun

Definition of concentrate for English Language Learners

: a substance that is made stronger or more pure by removing water

CONCENTRATE Defined for Kids

concentrate

verb con·cen·trate \ ˈkän-sən-ˌtrāt \

Definition of concentrate for Students

concentrated; concentrating

1 : to focus thought or attention on something

2 : to bring or come to or direct toward a common center

Moonlight seemed to concentrate upon the highly-polished steel dome …
—Brian Jacques, Redwall

3 : to make stronger or thicker by removing something (as water)

Simmer the sauce to concentrate its flavors.

Medical Dictionary

concentrate

verb con·cen·trate \ ˈkän(t)-sən-ˌtrāt, -ˌsen- \

medical Definition of concentrate

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

play \-ˌtrāt-ər\ noun

concentrate

noun

medical Definition of concentrate

: something prepared by concentration; especially : a food reduced in bulk by elimination of fluid

orange juice concentrate

Learn More about concentrate

See words that rhyme with concentrate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for concentrate Spanish Central: Translation of concentrate Nglish: Translation of concentrate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of concentrate for Arabic speakers

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concentrate

Definition of concentrate

concentratedly

concentrative

Examples of concentrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of concentrate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of concentrate

concentrate Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

concentrate

Definition of concentrate

Examples of concentrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of concentrate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of concentrate

Other Food Terms

Phrases Related to CONCENTRATE

Related Phrases

CONCENTRATE Defined for English Language Learners

concentrate

Definition of concentrate for English Language Learners

concentrate

Definition of concentrate for English Language Learners

CONCENTRATE Defined for Kids

concentrate

Definition of concentrate for Students

Medical Dictionary

concentrate

medical Definition of concentrate

concentrator

concentrate

medical Definition of concentrate

Learn More about concentrate

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