cement

American  

[si-ment] / sɪˈmɛnt /

noun

1. any of various calcined mixtures of clay and limestone, usually mixed with water and sand, gravel, etc., to form concrete, that are used as a building material.

2. any of various soft, sticky substances that dry hard or stonelike, used especially for mending broken objects or for making things adhere.

3. Petrography. the compact groundmass surrounding and binding together the fragments of clastic rocks.

4. anything that binds or unites.

   Time is the cement of friendship.

5. Dentistry.

   1. a hardening, adhesive, plastic substance, used in the repair of teeth for anchoring fillings or inlays, for filling, or for fastening crowns.

   2. Informal. cementum.

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verb (used with object)

1. to unite by or as if by cement.

   to cement stones to form a wall; to cement a relationship.

   Synonyms:

   secure, fuse, bind, join, merge

2. to coat or cover with cement.

   to cement a floor.

verb (used without object)

1. to become cemented; join together or unite; cohere.

cement British  

/ sɪˈmɛnt /

noun

1. a fine grey powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay, used with water and sand to make mortar, or with water, sand, and aggregate, to make concrete

2. a binder, glue, or adhesive

3. something that unites or joins; bond

4. dentistry any of various materials used in filling teeth

5. mineral matter, such as silica and calcite, that binds together particles of rock, bones, etc, to form a solid mass of sedimentary rock

6. another word for cementum

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verb

1. to reinforce or consolidate

   once a friendship is cemented it will last for life

2. to join, bind, or glue together with or as if with cement

3. to coat or cover with cement

Other Word Forms

• cementable adjective
• cementer noun
• cementless adjective
• recement verb
• well-cemented adjective

Etymology

Origin of cement

1250–1300; < Latin cēmentum, variant of caementum (singular of caementa unprocessed cuttings from the quarry, i.e., rough stone and chips) < *caed-mentom, equivalent to caed ( ere ) to cut + -mentum -ment; replacing Middle English cyment < Old French ciment < Latin, as above

Example Sentences

An emphatic victory for Takaichi and her Liberal Democratic Party would cement her grip on power and embolden her to pursue her vision of revitalizing Japan’s economy and raising stagnant incomes with aggressive fiscal spending.

From The Wall Street Journal

The blue-chip index has doubled since the fallout of the pandemic, cementing itself as a barometer for long-term bets on U.S. growth.

From The Wall Street Journal

There was also grass growing up through the cement.

From BBC

The houses promised by the government were incomplete, the cement still wet, so they slept outdoors at first, terrified of snakes and other wild animals in the bushy new clearing.

From Literature

D’Amaro was put in charge of the effort, which is designed to cement Disney’s leading position in leisure entertainment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adhesive
• mud
• plaster
• sand