concurrent

concurrent — adjective

1. used to describe two or more events, processes, or situations that happen or exi

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

used to describe two or more events, processes, or situations that happen or exist during the same period of time, often in a connected way

Example

The two conferences ran concurrent sessions, so Nadia could only attend one.

attributive use: concurrent sessions / concurrent events

The judge ordered that the sentences run concurrent with each other.

pattern: concurrent with [something]

Common collocations
  • concurrent sessions
  • concurrent users
  • concurrent sentences
  • concurrent projects
  • concurrent events
  • concurrent with
Synonyms
  • simultaneous

    more precise about exact same moment; common in everyday use

  • coinciding

    emphasises events falling together in time by chance or arrangement

  • parallel

    suggests events or processes run alongside each other without necessarily overlapping

Antonyms
  • separate

    happening at different times; not connected in time

  • sequential

    one following the other in order rather than at the same time

Grammar Patterns

concurrent + noun

concurrent with + noun phrase

Usage Note

More common in formal, academic, and technical writing than in everyday conversation. Unlike 'simultaneous,' which often stresses exact same moment, 'concurrent' typically refers to a shared duration or overlapping period.

Common Mistakes

The two concerts were concurrent happening at 8 PM.
The two concerts were concurrent.
'concurrent' is an adjective; use 'concurrently' as the adverb form.

Word family

  • concurrently
    adverbB2
  • concurrency
    nounC1
  • concur
    verbB2
  • concurrence
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe things that happen in the same timeframe, but they differ in nuance. 'Simultaneous' is the most common and direct — it stresses events occurring at the exact same moment (e.g., 'the two fireworks displays were simultaneous'). 'Concurrent' is more formal and often refers to things that share a duration or period rather than a precise instant; it appears frequently in academic, legal, and technical contexts. 'Coinciding' adds a light element of chance or arrangement — two holidays coinciding on the same date. 'Parallel' suggests a side-by-side relationship where two processes run along similar tracks without necessarily overlapping in time. In computing, 'concurrent' and 'parallel' have distinct technical meanings: concurrent tasks may share time on a single processor, while parallel tasks run on separate processors simultaneously.

simultaneous ↗coincidingparallel

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • at the same time
  • run concurrent with

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Concurrent comes from the Latin word 'concurrere,' which combines 'com-' (together) and 'currere' (to run). The original meaning was 'to run together,' which shifted over time to describe events or processes that occur together in time. It entered English in the 15th century through French.