Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

concrete

 [kon-kreet, kong-, kon-kreet, kong- for 1–15, 10, 13, 14; kon-kreet, kong- for 11, 12]   Origin

con·crete

   [kon-kreet, kong-, kon-kreet, kong- for 1–15, 10, 13, 14; kon-kreet, kong- for 11, 12] adjective, noun, verb, -cret·ed, -cret·ing.
adjective
1.
constituting an actual thing or instance; real: a concrete proof of his sincerity.
2.
pertaining to or concerned with realities or actual instances rather than abstractions; particular (opposed to general): concrete ideas.
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.
5.
formed by coalescence of separate particles into a mass; united in a coagulated, condensed, or solid mass or state.
Concrete Contractors concrete.networx.com/Concrete Local, Expert Concrete Contractors Get Multiple Free Quotes Instantly!
Ad
noun
6.
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. Compare reinforced concrete.
7.
any of various other artificial building or paving materials, as those containing tar.
8.
a concrete idea or term; a word or notion having an actual or existent thing or instance as its referent.
9.
a mass formed by coalescence or concretion of particles of matter.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Concrete is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used with object)
10.
to treat or lay with concrete: to concrete a sidewalk.
11.
to form into a mass by coalescence of particles; render solid.
12.
to make real, tangible, or particular.
verb (used without object)
13.
to coalesce into a mass; become solid; harden.
14.
to use or apply concrete.
Idiom
15.
set/cast in concrete, to put (something) in final form; finalize so as to prevent change or reversal: The basic agreement sets in concrete certain policies.
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English concret < Latin concrētus (past participle of concrēscere to grow together), equivalent to con- con- + crē- (stem of crēscere to grow, increase; see -esce) + -tus past participle ending

Related forms
con·crete·ly, adverb
con·crete·ness, noun
con·cre·tive, adjective
con·cre·tive·ly, adverb
un·con·crete, adjective
EXPAND
un·con·crete·ly, adverb
un·con·cret·ed, adjective
COLLAPSE

Can be confused: cement, concrete, mortar.

Synonyms
1. solid, factual, substantial.

Antonyms
1, 2. abstract.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To concrete
Collins
World English Dictionary
concrete (ˈkɒnkriːt)
 
—n
1.  a.  a construction material made of a mixture of cement, sand, stone, and water that hardens to a stonelike mass
 b.  (as modifier): a concrete slab
2.  physics a rigid mass formed by the coalescence of separate particles
 
—adj
3.  relating to a particular instance or object; specific as opposed to general: a concrete example
4.  a.  relating to or characteristic of things capable of being perceived by the senses, as opposed to abstractions
 b.  (as noun): the concrete
5.  formed by the coalescence of particles; condensed; solid
 
—vb
6.  (tr) to construct in or cover with concrete
7.  to become or cause to become solid; coalesce
 
[C14: from Latin concrētus grown together, hardened, from concrēscere; see concrescence]
 
'concretely
 
—adv
 
'concreteness
 
—n
 
con'cretive
 
—adj
 
con'cretively
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

concrete
1471, from L. concretus, pp. of concrescere "to grow together," from com- "together" + crescere "to grow" (see crescent). A logicians' term until meaning began to expand 1600s. Noun sense of "building material made from cement, etc." is first recorded 1834.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

concrete con·crete (kŏn-krēt', kŏn'krēt')
adj.

  1. Relating to an actual, specific thing or instance; particular.

  2. Existing in reality or in real experience; perceptible by the senses; real.

  3. Relating to a material thing or group of things as opposed to an abstraction.

  4. Formed by the coalescence of separate particles or parts into one mass; solid.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Image for concrete
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT