CONCERN


Meaning of CONCERN in English

I. con ‧ cern 1 S1 W1 /kənˈsɜːn $ -ɜːrn/ BrE AmE noun

[ Word Family: verb : ↑ concern ; noun : ↑ concern ; adjective : ↑ concerned ≠ ↑ unconcerned ]

1 . WORRY

a) [uncountable] a feeling of worry about something important:

The recent rise in crime is a matter of considerable public concern.

concern for

our concern for human rights

concern about/over/with

the rise of concern about the environment

the growing concern over inflation

concern with worsening law and order

concern that

increased concern that the war could continue for a long time

be a cause for concern/cause concern

The activities of the far right have been a cause for concern for a while now.

In her last days the poet expressed concern for her father.

b) [countable] something that worries you:

One of the concerns that people have is the side effects of treatment.

Education remains the electorate’s main concern.

the concerns expressed by parents

2 . SOMETHING IMPORTANT [uncountable and countable] something that is important to you or that involves you:

His main concern is to be able to provide for his family.

concern for

The consumer has become a major concern for this government.

of concern to somebody

topics of concern to television viewers

3 . FEELING FOR SOMEBODY [singular, uncountable] a feeling of wanting someone to be happy and healthy:

He was moved by her obvious concern.

concern for

parents’ loving concern for their children

4 . sb’s concern if something is your concern, you are responsible for it:

The money side of the business is your concern.

5 . not sb’s concern/none of sb’s concern if something is not your concern, you are not interested in it and you do not need to worry about it or become involved in it:

His affairs were none of her concern.

6 . BUSINESS [countable] a business or company:

The restaurant is a family concern.

We will continue to run the company as a going concern (=a business that is financially successful) .

• • •

COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)

■ verbs

▪ cause concern

The announcement will cause concern in the Middle East.

▪ feel concern

A lot of people felt some concern about the proposal.

▪ express concern

Police officials expressed concern about robberies, which have increased by 23%.

▪ voice concern formal (=express concern)

Some people have voiced concern about the state of the president's health.

▪ raise concerns formal

The incident has raised concerns over safety at the power station.

■ phrases

▪ be of concern

Of course, this is of great concern to parents.

▪ be a cause for concern

Rising global temperatures are a cause for serious concern.

▪ be a matter of concern

Elderly people in particular feel that crime is a matter of concern for them.

▪ amid concern that/over something (=because there is concern about something)

Shares fell slightly amid concern that the economy is slowing.

■ adjectives

▪ great/serious/considerable concern

The spread of the disease is an issue of considerable concern.

▪ grave concern (=very great concern)

This disagreement was a matter of grave concern to the US.

▪ a real/genuine concern

Pensions are a genuine concern to many people.

▪ a particular concern

Noise is a particular concern of those living near the airport.

▪ growing/mounting concern

Growing concern has been expressed over the pollution of the North Sea.

▪ a common concern (=one that many people share)

Rising food prices are a common concern.

▪ public concern (=felt by the public)

Public concern about the destruction of the rain forests could harm the timber business.

▪ national concern

The lack of good cheap public transport is a matter of national concern.

▪ widespread concern

There seems to be widespread concern about the state of our hospitals.

• • •

COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)

■ adjectives

▪ somebody's main/biggest concern

My main concern is my children.

▪ somebody's primary/chief/principal concern

The president said his primary concern was the welfare of the American people.

▪ somebody's central concern

Our organization's central concern is to help people at all levels of society.

▪ somebody's overriding concern (=much more important than anything else)

An artist's overriding concern is to achieve the highest standard possible.

▪ somebody's only/sole concern

Rick's only concern was having a good time at the weekend.

▪ somebody's present/immediate concern

Her two immediate concerns were to find a home and a job.

II. concern 2 W3 BrE AmE verb [transitive]

[ Word Family: verb : ↑ concern ; noun : ↑ concern ; adjective : ↑ concerned ≠ ↑ unconcerned ]

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: concerner , from Late Latin concernere 'to mix together' , from Latin com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + cernere 'to sift' ]

1 . [not in passive] if a story, book, report etc concerns someone or something, it is about them:

This study concerns couples’ expectations of marriage.

The report concerns the drug traffic on the Mexican–US border.

REGISTER

In everyday English, people usually say something is about something or, in British English, is/has to do with something, rather than say it concerns something:

The book is about women’s experiences of war.

2 . to make someone feel worried or upset:

Issues like food additives do concern me.

3 . [not in passive] if an activity, situation, rule etc concerns you, it affects you or involves you:

The tax changes will concern large corporations rather than small businesses.

4 . concern yourself with/about something formal to become involved in something because you are interested in it or because it worries you:

He told them not to concern themselves about him.

He loved his wife, and concerned himself with her needs and desires.

5 . to whom it may concern an expression written at the beginning of a formal letter when you do not know the name of the person you want to communicate with

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.