concern
/kənˈsəːn
/verb [with object]
1Relate to; be about: the story concerns a friend of mine the report is mainly concerned with 1984 onwards...
- Of course, the Today Tonight story was only concerned with the latter issue.
- Julian Barnes's new book of short stories is concerned with old age and death.
- Shelton is less concerned with telling a story than with finding answers.
Synonyms
be about, deal with, cover, treat, have to do with;
discuss, tell of, go into, examine, scrutinize, study, review, analyse;
relate to, be connected with, pertain to, appertain to
archaic regard
1.1Be relevant or important to; affect or involve: she was prying into that which did not concern her many thanks to all concerned...
- It is so important for all concerned that we know what people do and do not want.
- She said the PCT is committed to involving staff and patients in the review and that all concerned parties would be kept informed.
- While no definitive solution to the impasse was reached there will be a further meeting of all concerned next week
Synonyms
affect, be the business of, involve, be relevant to, apply to, pertain to, have a bearing on, bear on, impact on;
be of importance to, be important to, interest, be of interest to
interested, involved, affected;
connected, related, implicated
1.2 (concern oneself with) Interest or involve oneself in: it is not necessary for us to concern ourselves with this point...
- Some, such as chambers of commerce, concern themselves with narrowly defined interests.
- There is every likelihood of there being something of interest to those who concern themselves with such things, and tourism might be enhanced.
- CB has been personally involved with some of the campaigns his newspaper has concerned itself with.
1.3 (be concerned in) formal Have a specific connection with or responsibility for: those concerned in industry, academia, and government...
- Mr Black accepted an undertaking which prevents him from being a director of a company, directly or indirectly, and being concerned in or taking part in the promotion, formation or management of a company for four years.
- During 1998 and 1999 both respondents were concerned in the possession and supply of like products.
- And the trainer did not forget his back up team at Rosewell House either, adding ‘Many people were concerned in last Tuesday's effort and my staff did a wonderful job with Media Puzzle.’
Synonyms
involve oneself in, interest oneself in, take an interest in, be interested/involved in, take a hand in, busy oneself with, occupy oneself with, devote one's time to, bother oneself with, notice, take notice of
1.4 (be concerned with/to do something) Regard it as important to do something: I was mainly concerned with making something that children could enjoy...
- I think teenagers dare to be concerned with the most important issues and as they grow older they tend to get jaded.
- Here, however, I shall not be concerned with these important nuances.
- The first is charismatic leadership which is mainly concerned with carrying the hearts and minds of the people involved in the change.
2Make (someone) anxious or worried: the roof of the barn concerns me because eventually it will fall in don’t concern yourself, old boy—my lips are sealed...
- This bodybuilder admits that the cost concerns him, but he appears less worried about the health risks.
- Still, the fact that enough other papers all but glossed over his troubles concerns me.
- A chance remark by trainer Peter Niven a few weeks ago worried me then, and concerns me even more in retrospect.
Synonyms
worry, disturb, trouble, bother, perturb, unsettle, make anxious, distress, upset, agitate, cause disquiet to, disquiet
noun
1 [mass noun] Anxiety; worry: Carole gazed at her with concern...
- He was speaking in the wake of growing concern by holidaymakers worried about what will happen when the conflict begins in earnest.
- If I don't do something soon I'm going to be getting letters voicing concern and worry that I've not been in contact.
- We are naturally watching with some concern and care and anxiety what is occurring in your country.
Synonyms
anxiety, worry, disquiet, disquietude, apprehension, apprehensiveness, unease, uneasiness, perturbation, consternation, distress, agitation
North American archaic worriment
solicitude, consideration, solicitousness, care, sympathy, thought, regard, caringness
archaic concernment
1.1 [count noun] A cause of anxiety or worry: environmental concerns...
- Controversial plans to merge two primary schools were met with opposition as worried parents raised concerns over their children's safety.
- This week Professor Hay will attend an inquest in Leeds into his wife's death at which he hopes to raise concerns about the safety of the drug.
- Traffic troubles in front of the new Richmond High have raised safety concerns as well as irritated drivers.
Synonyms
affair, issue, matter, question, consideration
2A matter of interest or importance to someone: housing is the concern of the Housing Executive [mass noun]: the prospect should be of concern to us all...
- It is obvious that our children's needs and concerns extend over the whole spectrum of issues which are of concern to adults in our communities.
- We will welcome your input on matters of concern to your community.
- Compare the duration of this discussion with the time allocated to matters of concern to the general public.
Synonyms
responsibility, business, affair, charge, duty, job, task, occupation;
area of activity, area of interest, province, preserve, department, sphere;
problem, worry, lookout
informal pigeon, baby, bag, funeral, headache, bailiwick
interest, importance;
be relevant to, have relevance for, have a bearing on, be applicable to
3A business: the town’s only travel agent was a small, debt-ridden concern...
- The land and its people that produce and process the products, form the organisation's business concerns.
- The house became a business concern in 1995 after the death of the sixth Marquess.
- Even the established business concerns in Vincent and adjacent to Western Avenue could make an effort to those concerned to clean up the area.
Synonyms
company, business, firm, enterprise, venture, organization, operation, undertaking, industry, corporation, establishment, house, shop, office, bureau, agency, franchise, practice, partnership, consortium, cooperative, conglomerate, group, combine, syndicate
informal outfit, set-up
4 informal, dated A complicated or awkward object.
Phrases
as (or so) far as —— is concerned
have no concern with
to whom it may concern
Origin
Late Middle English: from French concerner or late Latin concernere (in medieval Latin 'be relevant to'), from con- (expressing intensive force) + cernere 'sift, discern'.
crime from Middle English:
The early meanings of crime were ‘wickedness’ and ‘sin’. The word comes via Old French from Latin crimen ‘judgement or offence’, which was based on cernere ‘to judge’ also in concern (Late Middle English), recriminate (early 17th century), and discern (Late Middle English). The expression crime doesn't pay was a slogan associated with the 1930s American radio crime series The Shadow, in which it was spoken by the Shadow at the end of each broadcast. It originated earlier, though, and was the title of a silent film in 1912.