concern

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.

Definitions of concern
  1. noun
    something that interests you because it is important or affects you
    “the safety of the ship is the captain's concern”
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 7 types...
    hide 7 types...
    earth, earthly concern, world, worldly concern
    the concerns of this life as distinguished from heaven and the afterlife
    affair, matter, thing
    a matter or concern
    affairs, personal business, personal matters
    matters of personal concern
    part
    that which concerns a person with regard to a particular role or situation
    point of honor
    a concern that seriously reflects on your honor
    least
    something that is of no importance
    dirty laundry, dirty linen
    personal matters that could be embarrassing if made public
    type of:
    interest, involvement
    a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
  2. noun
    an anxious feeling
    synonyms: care, fear
    see moresee less
    type of:
    anxiety
    a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune
  3. noun
    a feeling of sympathy for someone or something
    “She felt strong concern for those less fortunate”
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    unconcern
    a feeling of lack of concern
    types:
    solicitousness, solicitude
    a feeling of excessive concern
    softheartedness, tenderness
    a feeling of concern for the welfare of someone (especially someone defenseless)
    type of:
    fellow feeling, sympathy
    sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish)
  4. noun
    something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
    “New York traffic is a constant concern”
    synonyms: headache, vexation, worry
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 7 types...
    hide 7 types...
    bugaboo
    a source of concern
    burden, encumbrance, incumbrance, load, onus
    an onerous or difficult concern
    business
    a rightful concern or responsibility
    dead weight
    an oppressive encumbrance
    fardel
    a burden (figuratively in the form of a bundle)
    imposition
    an uncalled-for burden
    pill
    something unpleasant or offensive that must be tolerated or endured
    type of:
    negative stimulus
    a stimulus with undesirable consequences
  5. noun
    a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
    synonyms: business, business concern, business organisation, business organization
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 40 types...
    hide 40 types...
    agency
    a business that provides a specialized service
    brokerage
    the business of a broker; charges a fee to arrange a contract between two parties
    carrier, common carrier
    a person or firm in the business of transporting people or goods or messages
    chain
    (business) a number of similar establishments (stores or restaurants or banks or hotels or theaters) under one ownership
    business firm, firm, house
    the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments
    dealership, franchise
    a business established or operated under an authorization to sell or distribute a company's goods or services in a particular area
    maker, manufacturer, manufacturing business
    a business engaged in manufacturing some product
    partnership
    the members of a business venture created by contract
    processor
    a business engaged in processing agricultural products and preparing them for market
    shipbuilder
    a business that builds and repairs ships
    underperformer
    a business that is less successful than expected
    concession
    a small business that operates in a larger business or public place
    competitor
    a company or organization operating in the same market as another
    line
    a commercial organization serving as a common carrier
    corp, corporation
    a business firm whose articles of incorporation have been approved in some state
    copartnership
    a partnership in which employees get a share of the profits in addition to their wages
    apparel chain
    a chain of clothing stores
    discount chain
    a chain of discount stores
    restaurant chain
    a chain of restaurants
    retail chain
    a chain of retail stores
    accounting firm
    a firm of accountants who provide accounting and auditing services for a fee
    consulting company, consulting firm
    a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee
    publisher, publishing company, publishing firm, publishing house
    a firm in the publishing business
    dealer
    a firm engaged in trading
    law firm
    a firm of lawyers
    armorer, armourer
    a manufacturer of firearms
    bottler
    a manufacturer that makes and bottles beverages
    auto maker, auto manufacturer, automaker, car maker, car manufacturer, carmaker
    a business engaged in the manufacture of automobiles
    computer business
    a business that manufactures and sells computers
    commodity brokerage
    a brokerage firm dealing in commodities
    auction house
    a firm that conducts auctions
    ad agency, advertising agency
    an agency that designs advertisement to call public attention to its clients
    credit bureau
    a private firm that maintains consumer credit data files and provides credit information to authorized users for a fee
    detective agency
    an agency that makes inquiries for its clients
    employment agency, employment office
    an agency that finds people to fill particular jobs or finds jobs for unemployed people
    commercial agency, mercantile agency
    an organization that provides businesses with credit ratings of other firms
    news agency, news organisation, news organization, press agency, press association, wire service
    an agency to collects news reports for newspapers and distributes it electronically
    service agency, service bureau, service firm
    a business that makes its facilities available to others for a fee; achieves economy of scale
    travel agency
    an agency that arranges personal travel
    transfer agent
    an agency (usually a bank) that is appointed by a corporation to keep records of its stock and bond owners and to resolve problems about certificates
    type of:
    enterprise
    an organization created for business ventures
  6. verb
    be relevant to
    synonyms: bear on, come to, have-to doe with, pertain, refer, relate, touch, touch on
    advert, allude, touch
    make a more or less disguised reference to
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 6 types...
    hide 6 types...
    center, center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about, revolve around
    center upon
    apply, go for, hold
    be pertinent or relevant or applicable
    affect, involve, regard
    connect closely and often incriminatingly
    interest, matter to
    be of importance or consequence to
    implicate
    bring into intimate and incriminating connection
    fascinate, intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
  7. verb
    be on the mind of
    synonyms: interest, occupy, worry
Word Family
EDITOR’S CHOICE

Test prep from the experts

Boost your test score with programs developed by Vocabulary.com’s experts.

  • Proven methods: Learn faster, remember longer with our scientific approach.
  • Personalized plan: We customize your experience to maximize your learning.
  • Strategic studying: Focus on the words that are most crucial for success.

SAT/PSAT

$29.95
  • Number of words: 500+
  • Duration: 8 weeks or less
  • Time: 1 hour / week
Learn more

TOEFL

$29.95
  • Number of words: 500+
  • Duration: 10 weeks or less
  • Time: 1 hour / week
Learn more

ACT

$29.95
  • Number of words: 700+
  • Duration: 10 weeks
  • Time: 1 hour / week
Learn more