concern

verb

con·cern | \ kən-ˈsərn

concerned; concerning; concerns

Definition of concern

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to relate to : be about The novel concerns three soldiers. The report concerns global warming.

b : to bear on

2 : to have an influence on : involve also : to be the business or affair of The problem concerns us all. This conversation does not concern you.

3 : to be a care, trouble, or distress to Her ill health concerns me. Her son's frequent tantrums concerned her.

4 : engage entry 1, occupy He concerns himself with trivia. She refused to concern herself with such gossip.

intransitive verb

obsolete : to be of importance : matter

concern

noun

Definition of concern (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : marked interest or regard usually arising through a personal tie or relationship Their friend's health is a constant cause of concern.

b : an uneasy state of blended interest, uncertainty, and apprehension The actor's sudden collapse on stage caused concern.

2 : something that relates or belongs to one : affair It's no concern of yours.

3a : matter for consideration Immigration had become a concern to Congress.

b : a matter that causes feelings of unease, uncertainty, or apprehension health/safety concerns "Just throw it into the sun!" That phrase has long been the seemingly easy answer to … very serious concerns about what to do with nuclear waste.— Dave Trumbore

4 : an organization or establishment for business or manufacture a banking concern a commercial concern

5 : contrivance, gadget

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about concern

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Choose the Right Synonym for concern

Noun

care, concern, solicitude, anxiety, worry mean a troubled or engrossed state of mind or the thing that causes this. care implies oppression of the mind weighed down by responsibility or disquieted by apprehension. a face worn by years of care concern implies a troubled state of mind because of personal interest, relation, or affection. crimes caused concern in the neighborhood solicitude implies great concern and connotes either thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward another. acted with typical maternal solicitude anxiety stresses anguished uncertainty or fear of misfortune or failure. plagued by anxiety and self-doubt worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety. financial worries

Examples of concern in a Sentence

Verb

The novel concerns three soldiers. This study concerns the noise levels in cities. This conversation doesn't concern you. Our mother's illness concerns us.

Noun

They have expressed concern about the cost of the project. There is some concern that the economy might worsen. I share your concern about these problems. Their friend's health is a constant source of concern. The governor needs to address voters' concerns about the economy. They have raised concerns about the cost of the project. Their friend's health is a constant concern. His concern with the well-being of his family is obvious. She has always shown genuine concern for the poor. I appreciate your concern, but there's really nothing you can do to help.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Carrozzini was first turned onto the field of genomics—which concerns the structure, mapping, and editing of an organism’s complete set of DNA (or genome)—in the throes of his mother’s illness. — Vogue, "A New Fund Launched in Franca Sozzani’s Honor Will Support Genomic Research," 17 Jan. 2019 Nvidia has received some criticism from enthusiasts concerning the price of its RTX cards and the relative of lack of game support at present. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "AMD's CEO Lisa Su confirms ray tracing GPU development, hints at more 3rd-gen Ryzen cores," 9 Jan. 2019 But the relatively innocuous reasons a developer might make use of Facebook's SDK doesn't mean the results of the data sharing aren't concerning. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "There's a Whole Web of Popular Apps Sending Your Data Off to Facebook," 2 Jan. 2019 But the fact that Apple is still slow to update its computers to the latest and greatest internal specifications still remains concerning. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: Apple," 27 Dec. 2018 Pete first caused concerned after Ariana replied to Kanye West over his current fight with Drake. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "Ariana Grande Tried to Check In With Pete Davidson After He Posts Alarming Note on Instagram," 17 Dec. 2018 Like many other shows and publishers, Today focused on talking about the tidbit concerning Ellen's relationship to Patrick Dempsey. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'Grey's Anatomy' Fans Stick by Ellen Pompeo After "Lay Off the Booze" Tweet Goes Viral," 11 Dec. 2018 But like basically everything concerning MH370, the truth is surely harder to come by. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "New Research Might Locate Flight MH370—And Solve One of the Greatest Aviation Mysteries of All Time," 7 Dec. 2018 The Trump administration’s latest move drew opposition from business groups and some Republican lawmakers concerned the tariffs could be a blow to U.S. consumers and damage the economy. — Jim Puzzanghera, latimes.com, "After Trump's new tariff threat, China may either have to blink or widen the trade war," 11 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Earlier on Wednesday, equity markets had been weak after Chinese data raised concerns over a slowing global economy. — Mike Bird, WSJ, "Yen Surges After Apple Upsets the Currency Cart," 3 Jan. 2019 Meanwhile, the privacy fears around Facebook have raised concerns about how Oculus will surveil its users. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: AR and VR," 30 Dec. 2018 Now, some within the Civil community have raised significant concerns about the entire premise of the company. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Civil unrest: How a blockchain-based journalism startup bumbled its launch," 23 Dec. 2018 The rules are now open to a comment period, which means the public can air their concerns and, if written in a correct and compelling manner, the department must respond or else face potential lawsuits. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "What to Know About The Title IX Changes—And How You Can Fight Them," 20 Nov. 2018 That said, there are concerns about one browser project dominating the web. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Microsoft Edge embraces open-source Chromium code, plans move to Windows 7, 8, and Macs," 6 Dec. 2018 In March of this year, the country's Communities Secretary rejected an open-pit coal mine on climate change concerns. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Natural gas firms have a proposal to convert home heating to hydrogen," 25 Nov. 2018 Energy stocks are benefiting from a pickup in crude oil prices, which have fallen sharply in recent weeks on concerns of rising supplies. — Alex Veiga, The Seattle Times, "Energy companies lead US stocks higher as oil prices rebound," 14 Nov. 2018 Just last week it was reported that usual royal favorite, the BBC, had turned down the opportunity to air the upcoming wedding, in a surprising move apparently blamed on ratings concerns. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Princess Eugenie's Wedding to Jack Brooksbank Will Be Broadcast on TV After All," 1 Oct. 2018

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