concrete

[kon-kreet, kong-, kon-kreet, kong- for 1–10, 13–15; kon-kreet, kong- for 11, 12]

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR concrete ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

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

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.

made of concrete: a concrete pavement.

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

noun

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.

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

a concrete idea or term; a word or notion having an actual or existent thing or instance as its referent.

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

verb (used with object), con·cret·ed, con·cret·ing.

to treat or lay with concrete: to concrete a sidewalk.

to form into a mass by coalescence of particles; render solid.

to make real, tangible, or particular.

verb (used without object), con·cret·ed, con·cret·ing.

to coalesce into a mass; become solid; harden.

to use or apply concrete.

Idioms

set/cast in concrete, to put (something) in final form; finalize so as to prevent change or reversal: The basic agreement sets in concrete certain policies.

Origin of concrete

1375–1425; late Middle English concret < Latin concrētus (past participle of concrēscere to grow together), equivalent to con- con- + crē- (stem of crēscere to grow, increase; see -esce) + -tus past participle ending

Related formscon·crete·ly, adverbcon·crete·ness, nouncon·cre·tive, adjectivecon·cre·tive·ly, adverbun·con·crete, adjectiveun·con·crete·ly, adverbun·con·cret·ed, adjective

Can be confusedcement concrete mortar²

Synonyms for concrete

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR concrete ON THESAURUS.COM

1. solid, factual, substantial.

Antonyms for concrete

1, 2. abstract.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for concrete

Contemporary Examples of concrete

As a writer, I tried mainly to stick close to the concrete particulars of the events and the performances I was describing.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America
David Yaffe, Scott Saul
December 10, 2014
It was the most common and concrete opportunity to do unto others as you would wish to have done unto you.
Pope Bids Refugees to EU ‘Bienvenido’; Europe Says ‘Non’
Candida Moss
November 30, 2014
D.C., but it is not likely to result in any concrete and meaningful action.
90 Seconds of Fury in Ferguson Are the Key to Making Peace in America
Michael Daly
November 26, 2014
When they are full, many landfills are capped—covered with asphalt or concrete.
Garbage In, Power Out
The Daily Beast
November 24, 2014
The concrete building from which the sounds emanate shakes from the impact, rattling the colorful houses on the dirt roads nearby.
Rage Against the Ebola Crematorium
Abby Haglage
November 11, 2014

Historical Examples of concrete

In this material and in such forms, the ideal as concrete spirituality does not admit of being realized.
The Introduction to Hegel's Philosophy of Fine Arts
Georg Hegel
Shall we now give attention to some two or three concrete cases?
What All The World's A-Seeking
Ralph Waldo Trine
The average amount of concrete placed in the walls per day was 50 cu.
Concrete Construction
Halbert P. Gillette
The people need, to meet their problems, concrete information that furnishes specific answers to their difficulties.
Rural Problems of Today
Ernest R. Groves
I reject the concrete example, but accept the universal doctrine on which the special dogma of the Trinity is erected.
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 2 (of 3)
Theodore Parker

British Dictionary definitions for concrete

concrete

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

physics a rigid mass formed by the coalescence of separate particles

adjective

relating to a particular instance or object; specific as opposed to generala concrete example

relating to or characteristic of things capable of being perceived by the senses, as opposed to abstractions
(as noun)the concrete

formed by the coalescence of particles; condensed; solid

verb

(tr) to construct in or cover with concrete

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

Derived Formsconcretely, adverbconcreteness, nounconcretive, adjectiveconcretively, adverb

Word Origin for concrete

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for concrete

adj.

late 14c., "actual, solid," from Latin concretus "condensed, hardened, thick, hard, stiff, curdled, congealed, clotted," figuratively "thick; dim," literally "grown together;" past participle of concrescere "to grow together," from com- "together" (see com-) + crescere "to grow" (see crescent). A logicians' term until meaning began to expand 1600s. Noun sense of "building material made from cement, etc." is first recorded 1834.

Medicine definitions for concrete

concrete

[kŏn-krēt′, kŏn′krēt′]

adj.

Relating to an actual, specific thing or instance; particular.

Existing in reality or in real experience; perceptible by the senses; real.

Relating to a material thing or group of things as opposed to an abstraction.

Formed by the coalescence of separate particles or parts into one mass; solid.

concrete

adjective

noun

verb (used with object), con·cret·ed, con·cret·ing.

verb (used without object), con·cret·ed, con·cret·ing.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Idioms

Origin of concrete

Synonyms for concrete

Antonyms for concrete

Examples from the Web for concrete

Contemporary Examples of concrete

Historical Examples of concrete

concrete

noun

adjective

verb

Word Origin for concrete

concrete

adj.