Concentration means focusing your mind completely on one thing, blocking out distractions. When you have good concentration, you can read a challenging book in a noisy room, solve a difficult math problem while your siblings play nearby, or practice piano scales without letting your mind wander.

Strong concentration lets you direct all your mental energy toward whatever you're working on.

Concentration takes practice. A musician concentrates during a performance, keeping track of notes, tempo, and dynamics all at once. A surgeon concentrates during an operation, where a moment's distraction could be dangerous. Even playing chess requires intense concentration to think several moves ahead while remembering what your opponent might do.

Some activities demand brief bursts of concentration, like a gymnast focusing during a vault. Others require sustained concentration, like writing a research paper over several days.

You can also use concentration to describe when something gathers in large amounts in one place. A high concentration of salt makes ocean water taste different from fresh water. If there's a concentration of students in the library before exams, it means many students are gathered there at once.