concurrent

Everyday

1. Happening or existing at the same time (concurrent events). tree →
2. (maths) Meeting at the same point (concurrent lines all pass through one point). tree →
3. (law) In a court sentence, served at the same time as another rather than one after the other. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and timetables, concurrent activities happen at the same time — you cannot go to two concurrent clubs. In maths, three or more lines are concurrent if they all cross at one point. In computing, concurrent programs run at the same time. It tells the reader things overlap in time or meet in one place. Adverb: concurrently.

Examples

• The two football matches were concurrent, so we could only watch one. tree →
• The festival had concurrent shows on three stages. tree →
• In geometry, concurrent lines meet at a single point. tree →
• The three medians of a triangle are concurrent. tree →
• The judge gave two concurrent sentences. tree →
• The computer can run concurrent tasks. tree →

Note

Adjective; adverb concurrently. Maths note: «concurrent lines» meet at one point; «parallel lines» never meet. In timetables, concurrent means «at the same time», so you need to choose one.