concrete

The word “concrete” means a hard building material made by mixing cement, water, sand, and gravel, which sets solid. In plain terms, either the solid grey building material, or (as an adjective) something definite and real rather than vague.

“Concrete” is pronounced KONK-reet (/ˌkɑnˈkɹit/ in IPA).

Here is “concrete” used in a sentence: “The workers poured concrete for the new foundation.”

Depending on how it is used, “concrete” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “concrete” comes from Latin. From Latin concretus, past participle of concrescere ("to grow together, harden"), from con- ("together") plus crescere ("to grow").

“Concrete” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Concrete” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a hard building material made by mixing cement, water, sand, and gravel, which sets solid.

Cement is just one ingredient — a powdered binder made from limestone and clay. Concrete is the finished building material, made by mixing cement with water, sand, and gravel so that it sets rock-hard. People often say 'cement' when they mean concrete, but cement is only the glue that holds concrete together.

As an adjective, 'concrete' means real, specific, and tangible — something you can see or touch, like a concrete example or concrete evidence. 'Abstract' means conceptual or theoretical, existing only as an idea. The solid building material lends its firmness to this figurative sense of being definite and dependable.

Concrete is made by mixing cement, water, sand, and gravel or crushed stone. The cement and water form a paste that coats the sand and gravel, then hardens through a chemical reaction called curing, binding everything into a solid, durable mass used for foundations, roads, and buildings.