concrete
concrete Lexical Profile
concrete Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Existing in a material or physical form; real or solid rather than abstract.
"The teacher used concrete objects like wooden blocks to help the students understand basic fractions."
Made of or relating to the hard building material formed from cement, aggregate, and water.
"Workers laid a thick concrete slab to serve as the foundation for the new warehouse."
Specific, definite, and clearly verifiable; not vague or speculative.
"The committee asked the project manager to present concrete proposals rather than general goals."
• noun
A heavy, durable building material made from a mixture of broken stone or gravel, sand, cement, and water, which can be spread or poured into molds and hardens into a stone-like mass.
"The construction crew waited for the freshly poured concrete to cure before erecting the steel frame."
A specific, tangible thing or a material reality, as opposed to an abstract concept.
"Her essays constantly move from philosophical theory back to the concrete of everyday human experience."
• verb
To cover, pave, or build a surface or structure with concrete.
"The homeowners decided to concrete the muddy driveway to make parking easier in winter."
To solidify, coalesce, or form into a solid mass.
"Over centuries, the loose mineral sediments concreted into a dense layer of rock."
Word Nuance & Usage
In everyday usage, 'concrete' is often confused with 'cement'; strictly speaking, cement is the fine binding powder that acts as one ingredient, whereas concrete is the finished composite material made by mixing cement with water, sand, and gravel.
• Rhymes for concrete
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late Middle English period from Latin 'concretus', meaning 'condensed, hardened, or stiff', the past participle of 'concrescere' ('to grow together'), formed from 'com-' ('together') and 'crescere' ('to grow').