concrete

[ kon-kreet, kong-, kon-kreet, kong- for 1-10, 13-15; kon-kreet, kong- for 11, 12 ]
See synonyms for: concreteconcretedconcretesconcreting on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an artificial, stonelike material used for various structural purposes, made by mixing cement and various aggregates, as sand, pebbles, gravel, or shale, with water and allowing the mixture to harden.: Compare reinforced concrete.

  2. any of various artificial building or paving materials, as those containing tar.

  1. an idea, observation, term, or word having an actual or existent thing or instance as its referent, as opposed to its being abstract: Psychology is all about feelings and behavior, but I’m more interested in the concrete—and that’s why I became a surgeon.

  2. a mass formed by coalescence or concretion of particles of matter.

adjective
  1. constituting an actual thing or instance; real: concrete proof of his sincerity.

  2. relating to or concerned with realities or actual instances rather than abstractions; particular (opposed to general): concrete ideas.

  1. representing or applied to an actual substance or thing, as opposed to an abstract quality: The words “cat,” “water,” and “teacher” are concrete, whereas the words “truth,” “excellence,” and “adulthood” are abstract.

  2. made of concrete: a concrete pavement;concrete lawn ornaments.

  3. formed by coalescence of separate particles into a mass; united in a coagulated, condensed, or solid mass or state.

verb (used with object),con·cret·ed, con·cret·ing.
  1. to treat or lay with concrete: to concrete a sidewalk.

  2. to form into a mass by coalescence of particles; render solid: Of these two semiliquid solutions, which one do you think can be more easily concreted?

  1. to make real, tangible, or particular.

verb (used without object),con·cret·ed, con·cret·ing.
  1. to coalesce into a mass; become solid; harden: Has it started to concrete?

  2. to use or apply concrete: We can’t begin concreting until all the forms have been installed.

Idioms about concrete

  1. set / cast in concrete. stone (def. 33).

Origin of concrete

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin concrētus (past participle of concrēscere “to coalesce, condense”), equivalent to con- con- + crē(scere) “to grow, increase” + -tus past participle suffix

Other words for concrete

Opposites for concrete

Other words from concrete

  • con·crete·ly, adverb
  • con·crete·ness, noun
  • con·cre·tive, adjective
  • con·cre·tive·ly, adverb
  • un·con·crete, adjective
  • un·con·crete·ly, adverb
  • un·con·cret·ed, adjective

Words that may be confused with concrete

Words Nearby concrete

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use concrete in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for concrete

concrete

/ (ˈkɒnkriːt) /


noun
    • a construction material made of a mixture of cement, sand, stone, and water that hardens to a stonelike mass

    • (as modifier): a concrete slab

  1. physics a rigid mass formed by the coalescence of separate particles

adjective
  1. relating to a particular instance or object; specific as opposed to general: a concrete example

    • relating to or characteristic of things capable of being perceived by the senses, as opposed to abstractions

    • (as noun): the concrete

  1. formed by the coalescence of particles; condensed; solid

verb
  1. (tr) to construct in or cover with concrete

  2. (kənˈkriːt) to become or cause to become solid; coalesce

Origin of concrete

1
C14: from Latin concrētus grown together, hardened, from concrēscere; see concrescence

Derived forms of concrete

  • concretely, adverb
  • concreteness, noun
  • concretive, adjective
  • concretively, adverb

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