/ ˈkɒnsntreɪt; NAmE ˈkɑːn-/ verb , noun
■ verb
1.
concentrate (sth) (on sth / on doing sth) to give all your attention to sth and not think about anything else :
[ v ]
I can't concentrate with all that noise going on.
[ vn ]
Nothing concentrates the mind better than the knowledge that you could die tomorrow (= it makes you think very clearly) .
I decided to concentrate all my efforts on finding somewhere to live.
2.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to bring sth together in one place :
Power is largely concentrated in the hands of a small elite.
We need to concentrate resources on the most run-down areas.
Fighting was concentrated around the towns to the north.
3.
[ vn ] ( technical ) to increase the strength of a substance by reducing its volume, for example by boiling it
SYN reduce
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- concentrate on sth
■ noun
[ C , U ] a substance that is made stronger because water or other substances have been removed :
mineral concentrates found at the bottom of rivers
jams made with fruit juice concentrate
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent. (in the sense bring towards a centre ): Latinized form of concentre , from con- together + centrum centre or from French concentrer to concentrate. Sense 1 dates from the early 20th cent.