Meaning & use
concrete
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Real and definite, not vague, so that it can be seen, tested or acted on.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: concrete evidence, a concrete plan.
Patterns
- concrete evidence of something
- concrete proposals for something
Police still have no concrete evidence against him.
We need a concrete plan, not just good intentions.
She gave a concrete example to explain the rule.
adjectivenot comparablespecialist
Describing something physical that can be touched, as opposed to an idea or quality.
Grammar: Often contrasted with abstract: a concrete noun is a thing you can touch.
Patterns
- concrete noun
- concrete object
Table is a concrete noun, but freedom is abstract.
Young children learn better with concrete objects.
The artist turned feelings into concrete forms.
noununcountable
A hard building material made by mixing cement, sand, gravel and water.
Grammar: Uncountable: a lot of concrete, not a concrete.
Patterns
- pour concrete
- made of concrete
The workers poured concrete for the new driveway.
The bridge is made of reinforced concrete.
Concrete takes days to harden fully.
verbtransitive
To cover a surface with concrete or fix something in place with it.
Grammar: Takes an object: concrete the path.
Patterns
- concrete over something
They concreted the garden to make a parking space.
The posts were concreted into the ground.
The city plans to concrete over the old track.
Word forms
| third person singular | concretes |
|---|---|
| past tense | concreted |
| past participle | concreted |
| -ing form | concreting |
Common combinations
- concrete evidence
- There is no concrete evidence of cheating.
- concrete example
- Can you give a concrete example?
- concrete steps
- The council has taken concrete steps to reduce traffic.
- reinforced concrete
- The tower is built of reinforced concrete.
- poured concrete
- The floor is poured concrete.
- concrete jungle
- Some people feel lonely in a concrete jungle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- definite
- Definite stresses that something is settled and clear, whereas concrete suggests it is practical or tangible.
- tangible
- Tangible means you can touch or measure the result, and is often used for benefits or evidence.
- specific
- Specific means detailed and exact, while concrete adds the sense of being real and solid.
- cement
- Cement is only the powder that binds concrete, so the two are not interchangeable as materials.
Opposites
Word family
- concretely adverb
- in a definite and specific way
- concreteness noun
- the quality of being definite and real
- concretize verb
- to make a plan or idea definite
- concretion noun
- a hard solid mass formed from a substance
Commonly confused: concrete or cement? concrete or abstract?
concrete vs cement
Cement is the grey powder that sets and binds, while concrete is the finished hard material mixed from it.
concrete vs abstract
Abstract describes ideas or qualities you cannot touch, which is the opposite of concrete.
Practice
The manager wants a ___ plan with dates and budgets, not just general ideas.
Choose one answer.
A concrete plan is specific and ready to act on. Abstract and vague describe the opposite, and distant does not fit a plan in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “concrete”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.