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

Explanation

Cement is a material that's used to build very strong, hard surfaces and structures. Cement is an ingredient in both mortar, which holds bricks together, and concrete, with which dams and roads and buildings are constructed. Cement begins as a powder made of clay and limestone, and after it's mixed with water and, often, sand, it's used to strengthen and bind things — as the mixture dries, it becomes hard and solid. A version of cement has been around since the third century BCE, in Mesopotamia. The word comes from the Latin root cæmenta, "stone chips for making mortar," from caedere, "to cut or chop."

Example Sentences

A fifth Europa League title is within his grasp - and with it he would cement his legacy at Aston Villa.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

After they knocked on the wall and heard knocking back, officers cut into Brewjee’s wall and uncovered only cinder block and cement, according to police.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

"The biggest mistake we can make is to try to cement the status quo, to keep all companies exactly the same. That would lead to a much bigger deindustrialisation."

From Barron's • May 17, 2026

Construction is responsible for 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to New York City’s climate website, while the embodied carbon from just cement manufacturing is responsible for about 8%.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

He would say, “Clean water and health care and school and food and tin roofs and cement floors, all of these things should constitute a set of basics that people must have as birthrights.”

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• adhesive
• mud
• plaster
• sand