concentrate
B1Neutral (common across formal, informal, academic, and technical contexts)
Definition
Meaning
To focus one's attention or mental effort on something.
1) To gather or bring together in a specific place or around a central point. 2) To make a liquid or substance stronger by removing water or other diluting agent. 3) A substance that is the result of such a process, often requiring dilution.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The verb can denote a mental process, a physical gathering, or an industrial/chemical process. The noun form typically refers to the product of a concentration process (e.g., orange juice concentrate).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in core meaning or usage. Spelling and grammar are identical.
Connotations
Identical connotations of focus, intensity, and purity.
Frequency
Equally frequent in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
concentrate (verb) + on + NOUN/GERUND (I must concentrate on my studies.)concentrate (verb) + OBJECT (The army concentrated its forces.)concentrate (noun) + of + NOUN (a concentrate of orange juice)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “concentrate the mind (makes one think very seriously)”
- “a concentrated effort (a very determined attempt)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to focusing resources, efforts, or market share (e.g., 'We need to concentrate on our core markets.').
Academic
Used to describe focused mental effort in study or research (e.g., 'The study concentrates on demographic factors.').
Everyday
Commonly used for attention and focus in daily tasks (e.g., 'I can't concentrate with all this noise.').
Technical
In chemistry/industry, refers to increasing the strength of a solution or substance (e.g., 'ore concentrate').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- You need to concentrate on the road while driving.
- The protest concentrated outside the town hall.
- The recipe says to concentrate the sauce by simmering.
American English
- Just concentrate on getting better, not on work.
- The troops were concentrated at the border.
- The factory concentrates fruit juice for shipping.
adverb
British English
- She listened concentratedly to every word of the lecture.
American English
- He worked concentratedly for three hours without a break.
adjective
British English
- This is a very concentrated cleaning solution; be sure to dilute it.
- She gave him a look of concentrated dislike.
American English
- He made a concentrated effort to finish on time.
- The attack was met with concentrated fire.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Please be quiet, I need to concentrate.
- Add water to the orange concentrate.
- I find it hard to concentrate when I'm tired.
- The company is concentrating its sales efforts in Europe.
- The article concentrates on the economic causes of the conflict.
- Mineral concentrates are shipped overseas for final processing.
- The film's narrative is concentrated into a single, tense day.
- Criticism has become increasingly concentrated on the minister's personal conduct.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a CONE with a beam of light shining into its pointed tip. All the light is gathered into one CENTRAL spot. CONE + CENTRAL = CONCENTRATE.
Conceptual Metaphor
ATTENTION IS A RESOURCE (that can be gathered and directed to a single point). THINKING IS SEEING CLEARLY (to concentrate is to bring mental vision into sharp focus).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'concentrate' for the physical act of thickening a sauce, where 'reduce' or 'thicken' is better. Russian 'концентрироваться' often requires the preposition 'on'.
- Do not confuse the noun 'concentrate' (like juice) with 'concentration' (the act or ability of focusing).
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect preposition: 'I concentrate to my work.' (Correct: 'I concentrate on my work.')
- Using 'concentrate' transitively without an object for the mental sense: 'I concentrated the book.' (Correct: 'I concentrated on the book.')
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'concentrate' correctly as a NOUN?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
For the mental sense of focus, always use 'concentrate on' (e.g., concentrate on a task). 'Concentrate in' is used in specific scientific contexts (e.g., 'The solution is concentrated in acid.') or geographical contexts (e.g., 'Population is concentrated in cities.').
They are often synonyms for mental attention. 'Concentrate' can imply more effort against distraction, while 'focus' can imply narrowing onto a specific detail. 'Focus' has wider metaphorical use (e.g., 'the focus of a lens'), while 'concentrate' is strongly tied to the idea of gathering together.
Yes, but with a specific meaning: it refers to a substance made by removing water or other parts, making it stronger (e.g., 'laundry detergent concentrate', 'fruit juice concentrate'). It is not used to mean 'the act of concentrating' (that's 'concentration').
Yes. It can describe a substance that is strong and undiluted (concentrated acid), or describe an effort/expression that is very intense and directed (a concentrated effort, a concentrated stare).