concentrate
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to give all your attention to the thing you are doing.
v.to direct one's mental powers or efforts towards a particular activity or problem. Intransitive when used with the preposition 'on'.
Simple“It is hard to concentrate on your work when there is loud music playing.”
In context“The student found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the lecture as the construction noise outside grew more intrusive.”
PitfallI need to concentrate in my homework. I need to concentrate on my homework.In English, you concentrate 'on' something, not 'in' it.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to bring things together into one place or group.
v.to bring together or collect into a common centre or focus. Transitive and often used in passive constructions.
Simple“The company decided to concentrate its offices in the city centre.”
In context“The troops were ordered to concentrate their forces along the northern border in anticipation of the seasonal migration.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
v.to make a liquid stronger by removing water or other parts.
v.to increase the concentration of a substance in a mixture, typically by removing a solvent such as water.
Simple“You can concentrate the sauce by boiling it for a few more minutes.”
In context“The chemist used a vacuum evaporator to concentrate the solution without damaging the heat-sensitive proteins.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a substance that has been made stronger by removing water.
n.a substance or solution that has been made more potent by the removal of a diluting agent.
Simple“This orange juice is made from concentrate, so you need to add water.”
In context“The laboratory received a shipment of high-purity concentrate that required careful handling before it could be safely diluted for testing.”
Usage mainly concentrate · research concentrate · solely concentrate
(early 17th century) From a Romance language, see French concentrer, Italian concentràre, Spanish concentrar; alternatively from Medieval Latin/New Latin concentrō + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare also earlier concentre and German konzentrieren. By surface analysis, con- + center (centr- in compounds) + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
From Medieval Latin/New Latin concentrātus, perfect passive participle of concentrō (“concentate”). See Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.
From a substantivation of the above adjective. See also -ate (noun-forming suffix). Compare French concentré and German Konzentrat.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.