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reinforced concrete

American  

noun

  1. concrete containing steel bars, strands, mesh, etc., to absorb tensile and shearing stresses.


reinforced concrete British  

noun

  1. concrete with steel bars, mesh, etc, embedded in it to enable it to withstand tensile and shear stresses

"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

Etymology

Origin of reinforced concrete

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Across volatile regions, some critical infrastructure, like desalination plants and data centers, will need to be fortified with layers of reinforced concrete, duplicated to provide backups or potentially relocated underground—at significant cost.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 4, 2026

Raac is less durable than reinforced concrete as the "bubbly" structure can let water in, weakening the building material which can crumble and collapse.

From BBC Jan. 15, 2026

Some visually appealing examples are known as shells, and these have traditionally been made from reinforced concrete.

From Science Daily Dec. 5, 2025

He said the entire ground-level room is built with reinforced concrete walls.

From Seattle Times May 6, 2024

The building had reinforced concrete walls on the upper floor, making it a sturdier structure that would be able to hold more gas before the system failed.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

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