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

Alphabet’s stock has skyrocketed 66% over the last 12 months as Google cemented itself as a leader in the AI race and expanded its presence in virtually every facet of the ecosystem.

From MarketWatch

“I think it’s just important to keep public spaces like that, ”said Kovacs, who during the stunt hit a chunk of cement that bucked him into the water.

From The Wall Street Journal

In this approach, microorganisms produce cement like substances such as calcium carbonate at room temperature.

From Science Daily

They are now a means of building and cementing a larger, U.S.-led regional alliance, which includes Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal

Its recognition of Somaliland, a rare instance in which it has signed such an agreement with a Muslim-majority entity without public U.S. assistance, cements its newfound confidence in the international arena.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• adhesive
• mud
• plaster
• sand