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

• immersion
• attention
• absorption

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

From there, youth are allowed to immerse themselves into a specific concentration. —Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025

Mel Usine Before gaining post-grad experience in studios on both sides of the coast (Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and Gabriela Hearst), Mel Usine’s Stephen Biga majored in fashion design and culture & media at The New School with a concentration on identity politics and experimental cinema. —Ari Stark, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025

Maija de Rijk-Uys, managing director of Go2Africa, views the issue not in the sheer number of travelers visiting Tanzania, but in the concentration of vehicles in the same place at the same time. —Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Most participants are traditionally Brazilians from different parts of the country, with a concentration of attendees from São Paulo, where the majority of the largest distributors and exhibitors are headquartered. —Marcelo Cajueiro, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for concentration

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

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