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

It “addresses the effects of concrete, asphalt and other impervious surfaces that cover the urban landscape in these two watersheds, to protect water quality in the creeks, rivers and beaches downstream,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Christodoulides' spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the pair held "a substantive and sincere discussion" and expressed hope it would lead to concrete developments by the year's end when Guterres's mandate ends.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Inspectors said the contractor at the lower Manhattan building failed to notify the city about two concrete beams on the top floor that had developed cracks, according to the developer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Lithwick: That is the power of popular constitutionalism: People make inequality concrete and urgent.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Through another fence we arrived in a yard surrounded on three sides by low concrete buildings.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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

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

Starting with Chinatown, earthen basements were concreted, concrete ones flooded with carbolic acid, walls washed with lye, streets asphalted, cesspools filled and decrepit dwellings demolished.

From Nature ● Apr. 23, 2019

Some people might be surprised at just how little of the UK has been "concreted over".

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2018

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

The concreting of Houston’s green spaces removed key sponges for Harvey’s water, which sloshed into people’s homes.

From The Guardian ● May 20, 2019

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

From the banks of the rivers running through the plains, there appeared to ooze a saline fluid, concreting into a thin, scurf on the grass.

From Voyages from Montreal Through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in 1789 and 1793 Vol. II by Mackenzie, Alexander