concentration

concentration — noun

1. the mental power to keep your full attention on one task, activity, or idea whil

1.nounB1
Definition

the mental power to keep your full attention on one task, activity, or idea while ignoring anything else around you

Example

Tyler lost his concentration when the loud music started playing next door.

lose + concentration — breaking off focus

A quiet room helps Devika maintain her concentration while studying for exams.

maintain + concentration — keeping focus

Common collocations
  • lose concentration
  • break concentration
  • deep concentration
  • maintain concentration
  • require concentration
  • concentration on
Synonyms
  • focus

    very similar; focus can be shorter-term and more goal-directed, while concentration suggests sustained effort

  • attention

    broader and can be involuntary; 'pay attention' is less effortful than 'concentrate'

  • immersion

    stronger level of involvement, often implying enjoyment or losing track of time

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

concentration + on + noun/gerund

lose/maintain/require + concentration

Usage Note

Often paired with verbs like lose, break, maintain, or require. Commonly modified by deep, intense, complete, or total.

Common Mistakes

I need more concentration power to finish this work.
I need to concentrate better to finish this work.
'concentration' already means mental focus; 'concentration power' is redundant.
I lost my concentration to the noise.
I lost my concentration because of the noise.
use 'because of' or 'due to' for the cause, not 'to'.

2. a situation in which many things or people are gathered together in one area rat

2.nounB1
Definition

a situation in which many things or people are gathered together in one area rather than spread out

Example

There is a high concentration of coffee shops in the city center.

high concentration of [things] in [place]

The concentration of wealth in a few families bothers many citizens.

Common collocations
  • high concentration of
  • low concentration of
  • concentration of wealth
  • concentration of power
  • concentration of population
Synonyms
  • cluster

    a small, close group; more specific than concentration

  • gathering

    emphasizes people coming together; less natural for objects

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

concentration + of + plural noun

high/low + concentration + of + noun

Usage Note

Commonly used with high or low followed by concentration of + noun. The subject or location is typically a place or region where things cluster.

Common Mistakes

There is a high concentration of population in Taipei.
There is a high population density in Taipei.
'concentration of population' is less natural; use 'population density' for describing how crowded a place is.

3. a measurement showing how much of one chemical or material is contained within a

3.nounB2
Definition

a measurement showing how much of one chemical or material is contained within a liquid, gas, or solid mixture, typically given as a percentage or ratio

Example

The doctor checked the alcohol concentration in her blood after the accident.

Farmers prefer this fertilizer because it offers a high concentration of nitrogen.

high concentration of [substance] in [product]

Common collocations
  • high concentration
  • low concentration
  • safe concentration
  • lethal concentration
  • alcohol concentration
  • salt concentration
  • concentration level
Synonyms
  • density

    mass per unit volume; broader than concentration, which specifies one substance in a mixture

  • strength

    informal alternative; less precise than concentration

Antonyms
  • dilution

    the process of making a substance less concentrated by adding more liquid

Grammar Patterns

concentration + of + substance + in + medium

high/low/safe/lethal + concentration

Usage Note

Typically used with measurable adjectives (high, low, safe, lethal, maximum). Very common in scientific, medical, and environmental contexts. Can be expressed in units such as percentages, parts per million (ppm), or grams per liter (g/L).

Common Mistakes

The concentration of sugar is very strong in this drink.
The concentration of sugar is very high in this drink.
use 'high' or 'low' for concentration, not 'strong' or 'weak' (though 'strong' is heard informally).

4. a card-matching game in which each player flips a pair of cards face-up on their

4.nounA2
Definition

a card-matching game in which each player flips a pair of cards face-up on their turn, using their memory to find matching images and collect the most pairs

Example

The children spent the whole afternoon playing Concentration with animal cards.

play + Concentration (card game)

Niran won three rounds of Concentration by remembering where each picture was.

Common collocations
  • play Concentration
  • game of Concentration
  • win at Concentration
Synonyms
  • Memory

    the most common alternative name for the same game

  • Pelmanism

    a more formal or older name for the matching-card game

Grammar Patterns

play + Concentration

a game of + Concentration

Usage Note

Often capitalized as a proper noun when referring to the game by name. Also known as Memory, Match Match, or Pelmanism. Common as a children's educational game.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Concentration, focus, attention, and immersion all relate to how we direct mental resources, but they differ in emphasis. Concentration suggests sustained, effortful direction of thought toward a single object while deliberately blocking out distractions — it is active and requires discipline. Focus is similar but often implies aiming at a specific target or goal; it tends to be narrower in scope and is frequently used in productivity contexts ("maintain focus on your key goals"). Attention is the broadest of the three — it can be voluntary or involuntary ("the bright colors caught my attention"), and it does not necessarily imply sustained effort. Immersion goes a step deeper than concentration: it implies being so absorbed that you lose awareness of your surroundings, often associated with enjoyable activities like reading or gaming. Use concentration when the emphasis is on the depth and duration of mental effort; choose focus when the emphasis is on the target or goal; pick attention for simple awareness or noticing; and use immersion when total absorption is the key idea. For example, a student needs concentration to study math, but can have attention caught by a passing car, and can experience immersion in a great novel.

focus ↗attention ↗immersion ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • concentration level
  • concentration camp

Adverbs

  • intently

Phrases

  • powers of concentration
  • lack of concentration

Prepositions

  • concentration on
  • concentration in
  • concentration of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Concentration entered English in the early 1600s from French 'concentration', itself derived from Latin 'concentratio'. The root combines 'com-' (together) and 'centrum' (center), giving the original meaning 'the act of bringing to a center.' By the 1800s the sense of directing mental effort toward a single point had emerged, and the scientific meaning — measuring how much of a substance is present in a mixture — developed soon after, following the same logic of 'gathering into one place.'