concrete

American  

[kon-kreet, kong-, kon-kreet, kong-, kon-kreet, kong-] / ˈkɒn krit, ˈkɒŋ-, kɒnˈkrit, kɒŋ-, kɒnˈkrit, kɒŋ- /

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.

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

3. 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.

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

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adjective

1. constituting an actual thing or instance; real.

   concrete proof of his sincerity.

   Synonyms:

   substantial, factual, solid

   Antonyms:

   abstract

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

   concrete ideas.

   Antonyms:

   abstract

3. 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.

4. made of concrete.

   a concrete pavement;

   concrete lawn ornaments.

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

verb (used with object)

• concretes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• concreted,
  past participle,  past
• concreting
  present participle

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?

3. to make real, tangible, or particular.

verb (used without object)

• concretes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• concreted,
  past participle,  past
• concreting
  present participle

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

1. set / cast in concrete. stone.

concrete British  

/ ˈkɒnkriːt /

noun

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

   2. ( as modifier )

      a concrete slab

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

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adjective

1. relating to a particular instance or object; specific as opposed to general

   a concrete example

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

   2. ( as noun )

      the concrete

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

verb

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

2. to become or cause to become solid; coalesce

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• concreteness
  noun
• concretive
  adjective
• unconcrete
  adjective
• unconcreted
  adjective
• concretely
  adverb
• concretively
  adverb
• unconcretely
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• concreting
  present
• concreted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• concrete
  simple
• concretes
  simple
• have concreted
  perfect
• has concreted
  perfect
• am concreting
  progressive
• are concreting
  progressive
• is concreting
  progressive
• have been concreting
  perfect progressive
• has been concreting
  perfect progressive

Past

• concreted
  simple
• had concreted
  perfect
• was concreting
  progressive
• were concreting
  progressive
• had been concreting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will concrete
  simple
• will have concreted
  perfect
• will be concreting
  progressive
• will have been concreting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of concrete

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

Explanation

Concrete is that pourable mix of cement, water, sand, and gravel that hardens into a super-strong building material. Sidewalks, foundations, and highways are all made of concrete. Though people use the words cement and concrete as if they were the same, they're not. Concrete has cement in it, but also includes other materials; cement is what binds concrete together. Construction workers hate when kids write their names in concrete before it hardens: once concrete hardens, it's going to be solid for a long time. When used as an adjective, concrete also means solid. If you've got concrete plans for Saturday, then you have a definite plan.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

concrete concretes concreted concreting

No more half-gripping the handle while making rounds around the dusty concrete.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

As they were still teenagers, they were better able to squeeze through narrow spaces, crawling between concrete slabs lit only by a handheld torch or mobile phone so they could tell rescuers where to dig.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

As the 65-year-old was using a pickax to remove what he thought was a rectangular piece of concrete, the object moved.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The trilevel main residence, a 3,300-square-foot building, is made entirely of steel, concrete, and glass.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Max walked down the short concrete path toward the servants’ quarters.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Piles of bricks, slabs of concretes and mounds of rubble, and on the wall that remains standing, a bright green door which now leads to nothing.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2022

The Swiss company said it also wants to expand its solutions and products business, which makes pre-cast concretes, roofing products, asphalt and dry mortars to 30% of its revenue.

From Reuters ● Nov. 18, 2021

The polymer concretes seem to be doing alright, too, so we can just … make more of those.

From Nature ● Jul. 7, 2020

They paint their pictures with essential oils, resinoids, concretes and absolutes, the building blocks of fragrance and flavor.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 4, 2019

Then Ella dragged Brigit to the Conjure Creole Creamery, where attendants pulled levers making decadent concretes and malted mischief milkshakes full of pralines and petit fours and pieces of pecan pie.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Inside the concreted blocks was an extraordinary cache of iron helmets.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026

A caravan plot on a field that was allegedly concreted over illegally by travellers has been listed for sale on Facebook, the BBC has discovered.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

They were joined by a team of ground radar experts who scanned the heavily concreted property, assisting the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s with serving a search warrant at the home.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

Several sewage drains have been concreted over in Karachi to make way for parking lots.

From Reuters ● Dec. 18, 2021

There was a small concreted space in front of it that wasn’t a garden, a green Mini parked on the street.

From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman

"We're working with a new contractor for some concreting in the yard and building works," Alan said, adding that he'd received an email asking him to pay so the contractor could buy materials.

From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2024

According to him, construction workers used to be skilled in multiple aspects of the trade, but now the applicants he sees are specialized in specific categories, like framing, concreting or finishing, but not all three.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 29, 2017

The people behind Supurbia are quick to point out they have no intention of "garden-grabbing" or concreting over green spaces.

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2014

Like the fact that you see Boo Radley's father concreting in the hole in the tree where Boo had been leaving gifts for the children.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 25, 2013

This is, of course, for work of such size that one course is a day's work of concreting.

From Concrete Construction Methods and Costs by Halbert Powers Gillette