noun

concrete

KONK-reet

noun

A hard building material made by mixing cement, water, sand, and gravel, which sets solid.

"The workers poured concrete for the new foundation."

"Cracks had formed in the old concrete pavement."

adjective

Actual and specific rather than vague or abstract.

"She asked for concrete proof, not just promises."

"We need a concrete plan, not just good intentions."

How to Use Concrete

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the solid grey building material, or (as an adjective) something definite and real rather than vague.

Common mistake

Don't confuse the adjective sense (specific, real) with "abstract" — they are near opposites.

Easily confused with

abstract →

Common pairings

concrete evidence concrete plan pour concrete concrete floor

concreter comparative, concreted past tense, concretes plural, concretes singular, concretest superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

The workers poured _____ for the new foundation.

From Latin concretus, past participle of concrescere ("to grow together, harden"), from con- ("together") plus crescere ("to grow").

fete mete Pete Crete delete secrete athlete compete machete complete obsolete discrete