concern
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to relate to; be connected with; be of interest or importance to; affect.
The water shortage concerns us all.
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to interest or engage (used reflexively or in the passive, often followed by with orin ).
She concerns herself with every aspect of the business.
-
to trouble, worry, or disquiet.
I am concerned about his health.
- Synonyms:
- disturb
noun
-
something that relates or pertains to a person; business; affair.
Law is the concern of lawyers.
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a matter that engages a person's attention, interest, or care, or that affects a person's welfare or happiness.
The party was no concern of his.
- Synonyms:
- responsibility, burden
-
worry, solicitude, or anxiety.
to show concern for someone in trouble.
- Antonyms:
- indifference
-
important relation or bearing.
This news is of concern to all of us.
-
a commercial or manufacturing company or establishment.
the headquarters of an insurance concern.
-
Informal. any material object or contrivance.
verb
-
to relate to; be of importance or interest to; affect
-
to involve or interest (oneself)
he concerns himself with other people's affairs
noun
-
something that affects or is of importance to a person; affair; business
-
regard for or interest in a person or a thing
he felt a strong concern for her
-
anxiety, worry, or solicitude
-
important bearing or relation
his news has great concern for us
-
a commercial company or enterprise
-
informal a material thing, esp one of which one has a low opinion
Usage
What is a basic definition of concern? Concern means to relate to or to affect, to interest or engage, or to worry. Concern also has several senses as a noun. If an issue or problem concerns someone, it means that it involves them or will affect them personally.
- Real-life examples: The price of gas concerns drivers. Stock market prices concern investors. Global warming concerns everyone.
- Used in a sentence: Our conversation doesn’t concern you, so leave us alone.
- Used in a sentence: Fires are the concern of the fire department.
- Real-life examples: You might concern yourself with your friend’s problem because you care about them. When you’re taking a test, your teacher might remind students to be concerned only with their own papers. Your parents concern themselves with your health.
- Used in a sentence: Chuck doesn’t concern himself with other people’s problems.
- Used in a sentence: What my neighbors do to their lawn is no concern of mine.
- Real-life examples: You might be concerned about your grades. Politicians are often concerned about whether voters will keep voting for them. Your friend might be concerned about whether you both make the basketball team.
- Used in a sentence: Her brother’s failing health really concerns Joelene, and she has been losing sleep over it.
- Used in a sentence: We try to ease parents’ concern by showing them that the school is completely safe and monitored.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
concernsimple
-
concernssimple
-
have concernedperfect
-
has concernedperfect
-
am concerningprogressive
-
are concerningprogressive
-
is concerningprogressive
-
have been concerningperfect progressive
-
has been concerningperfect progressive
Past
-
concernedsimple
-
had concernedperfect
-
was concerningprogressive
-
were concerningprogressive
-
had been concerningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of concern
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English concernen, from Middle French concerner, from Medieval Latin concernere “to relate to, distinguish,” from Late Latin: “to mix for sifting,” from Latin con- con- + cernere “to decide, separate, sift”
Explanation
Concern is both a noun and a verb. As a noun it's something that you find particularly important. If you love pizza, getting the crust just so is a major concern during your pizza party. Concern can also be something or someone that makes you upset or anxious, like your concern over the quality of the pizza crust. It can be a feeling of sympathy, like when your mom expresses concern over your obsession with pizza crust. As a verb, concern means to be relevant to something. Your main goal today may concern studying for your math test. Concern can also describe worry. When you stay out past curfew, your mom will be concerned.
Vocabulary lists containing concern
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But the House responded to public concern Wednesday by passing, in a 232-198 vote, a bill called the Stop Insider Trading Act.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Horan thinks AT&T has a “few solid quarters” before pressure from Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite-internet division, becomes a major concern.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
As I wrote on Wednesday, the concern in Israel over the Saudi deal seemed to indicate just how much favor Israel has lost in the United States in recent years.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
Amid concern that kids playing in the streets would get hit by cars, Los Angeles made it a misdemeanor to play baseball, basketball, soccer or any other ball game on a street or sidewalk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
But Betsie’s main concern was not for the morale of Harry and Cato, it was for their very lives.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
He recently put Claude AI to the test, posing as a healthy, single, 62-year-old woman with some savings who wants to retire at 65 but harbors longevity and inflation concerns.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Additional concerns over visibility for short-drama monetization and AI investment target may drive near-term stock-price volatility,” they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“We see the same sorts of problems and concerns and misery that we’ve been seeing for the last 15 months,” said Welch, the Children’s Rights attorney.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
It said it works with police and does not penalise those reporting concerns.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
For the first time in his life, C.P. really listened to black people and he was stunned to hear, over and over, his own concerns coming from their mouths.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
He still bought a portable air conditioning unit in spring as a precaution, and is concerned about his grandparents and his father living further south in Hertfordshire.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Ofcom says it is "extremely concerned" to hear of the BBC's findings and is speaking to the site's provider, but it has not so far launched an investigation.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
SpaceX’s Starlink business has cast a shadow over AT&T’s stock recently, but a Wolfe Research analyst says investors are worrying prematurely — if they even have to be concerned at all.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Military hostilities in the Middle East have escalated and investors have become particularly concerned about attacks expanding to the Red Sea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
His father had taught that, insofar as their education was concerned, each of the children was responsible for helping the next child get through.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
"I encourage patients to be proactive and use the checklist to start a conversation with their primary care provider about any concerning bowel changes."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Roberts used three concerning words to describe it: “wear and tear.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
A spokesperson for the Cairngorms National Park Authority said the fire was "deeply concerning".
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
"These findings are particularly concerning because persistence is foundational to skill acquisition and is one of the strongest predictors of long-term learning," the authors wrote.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
But concerning his subjects, when external affairs do not change, he has to fear that they may be plotting in secret.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.