concentrate

/ˈkɒnsəntreɪt/

focus intently on a task

She needs to concentrate on her studies to pass the exam.

She must focus intently on her studies to succeed in the exam.

general

to focus one's attention or mental effort on a particular task or subject

He tried to concentrate on the lecture, but the noise outside was distracting.

He attempted to focus on the lecture, but the noise outside made it difficult.

Concentrate on your breathing to reduce stress.

Focus on your breathing to help lower stress levels.

Often used with 'on' to specify the object of focus.

technical

to reduce a substance to a more concentrated form by removing water or other diluting agents

The lab technician concentrated the solution by evaporating the solvent.

The technician made the solution more concentrated by removing the solvent through evaporation.

Common in scientific and industrial contexts.

Collocations

concentrate onfocus intently on a specific task or subjectconcentrate one's effortsdirect one's energy or attention to a particular goal

to stop focusing on a task

to focus one's thoughts

Remember to use 'on' with 'concentrate' when specifying the object of focus.

Use the literal meaning for chemistry/industry and the figurative meaning for mental focus.

From Latin 'concentrare', meaning 'to bring to a center', from 'con-' (together) + 'centrum' (center).

Can be used both literally (e.g., in chemistry) and figuratively (e.g., mental focus).

con-

together

prefix

-centrate

center

root

English Dictionary