Concentrate means to focus your attention completely on one thing. When you concentrate on your homework, you block out distractions like TV noise or your siblings playing nearby and put all your mental energy into understanding the problems in front of you. Athletes concentrate before attempting a difficult move. Musicians concentrate when learning a complex piece of music.

Concentrating requires deep engagement where other thoughts fade into the background. It's the difference between glancing at a page while thinking about lunch and really absorbing what you're reading. When you truly concentrate, your mind stops wandering to what you'll do after school or what your friend said at recess.

The word can also mean to gather things together in one place. When you concentrate your toy soldiers in one corner of the battlefield, you're bringing them together into a dense group. Orange juice concentrate is orange juice with most of the water removed, making the flavor more intense and packed into a smaller space. Scientists might concentrate a solution by removing liquid until what remains is stronger and more potent.

Related words include concentration (the act of concentrating) and concentrated (describing something focused or gathered together). When teachers ask for your undivided attention, they're asking you to concentrate.