SINCE 1828
cement
noun
ce·ment
| \ si-ˈment also ˈsē-ment
\
\
Definition of cement
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: concrete
b
: a powder of alumina, silica, lime, iron oxide, and magnesium oxide burned together in a kiln and finely pulverized and used as an ingredient of mortar and concrete
also
: any mixture used for a similar purpose
2
: a binding element or agency: such as
a
: a substance to make objects adhere to each other
b
: something serving to unite firmly
justice is the cement that holds a political community together— R. M. Hutchins
3
: cementum
4
: a plastic composition made especially of zinc or silica for filling dental cavities
5
: the fine-grained groundmass or glass of a porphyry
cement
verb
cemented;
cementing;
cements
Definition of cement (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to unite or make firm by or as if by cement
Pebbles were cemented together by clay. has cemented his role as a leader on the team— T. W. Smith
2
: to overlay with concrete
cemented the cellar floor
: to become cemented
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Examples of cement in a Sentence
Noun
There is a layer of cement under the bricks. what kind of cement works best on glass and pottery?Verb
A win would cement her reputation as a strong competitor.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Riding an almost decade-long stint as rom-com queen, My Best Friend’s Wedding helped further cement Julia Roberts' icon status. — Danny Murphy, Marie Claire, "My Best Friend's Wedding," 14 Feb. 2019 President Trump’s two previous nominees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, already have helped cement one of the strongest conservative majorities on the Supreme Court in decades. — Brent Kendall, WSJ, "Justice Ginsburg Has Cancerous Growths Removed From Lung," 21 Dec. 2018 Still, those specific myths tend to stick to films about nonwhite and non-male characters, and have helped cement a pessimistic view of the entertainment industry and people’s tastes. — Alex Abad-santos, Vox, "2018 belonged to Black Panther. And it could change Marvel’s future.," 11 Dec. 2018 After his death, DeBrodie was allegedly left in the bathtub for two or three days before he was dumped in the trash can on which cement was then poured before being placed in a storage unit, where his body was ultimately found. — PEOPLE.com, "Developmentally Disabled Man Allegedly Did Labor for Caretaker Before Body Was Found Encased in Concrete," 8 June 2018 The outcome will likely alter the CEO’s Amazon stake, around 16% of its $780 billion market value, and cement Ms. Bezos’ position as the richest woman in the world. — Laura Stevens, WSJ, "Jeff Bezos’ Journey From Private Family Man to Tabloid Sensation," 10 Feb. 2019 Prince Andrew has posted repeatedly on his Instagram in support of the young couple since their wedding at Windsor Castle on October 12, 2018, but this official gesture cements Jack's status in the family. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Prince Andrew Just Made a Big Gesture to Princess Eugenie's Husband, Jack Brooksbank," 29 Oct. 2018 Now, anyone can win the lottery and change their lives forever, and buying a home is the most obvious way to cement that change. — Angela Serratore, Curbed, "The pure joy of HGTV’s ‘My Lottery Dream Home’," 21 Sep. 2018 Regardless, this is a significant upgrade for the Shield TV, and further cements its status as the streamer that geeks should get. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Nvidia Shield TV levels up to full-featured PC gaming with free GeForce Now beta," 11 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Stealing cars is, in a sense, a way for Troy to cement fully his identity as an outcast. — Eve Macsweeney, Vogue, "In Randy Kennedy’s Presidio, a Startling Road Trip Thriller Full of Twists and Turns," 17 Aug. 2018 Despite the loss, Boston University (6-7, 2-5) can cement a spot in the six-team tournament by beating Holy Cross (4-8, 2-5) on Friday night. — Edward Lee, baltimoresun.com, "Loyola, Boston U. men’s lacrosse in control of different paths to Patriot League tournament," 15 Apr. 2018 The Wildcats can cement their status as a modern college basketball power with their second title in three years, but a showdown with the powerful Jayhawks looms. — Creg Stephenson, AL.com, "Final Four 2018: Loyola-Chicago vs. Michigan live stream, score updates, time, TV channel," 31 Mar. 2018 Winning the Universal title by conquering the Beast would cement Reigns as the leader of the locker room. — Gene Guillot, NOLA.com, "Roman's empire: Roman Reigns is the face of the WWE," 30 Mar. 2018 Without enough functional protein, the brain can’t cement connections that are built when a person acquires new abilities, such as walking and talking. — Linda Carroll /, NBC News, "What is Rett Syndrome? Richard Engel's son has rare genetic disorder," 30 Jan. 2018 That would cement the firm, which already has an extensive African portfolio, as one of the largest private-equity investors in the region. — William Louch, WSJ, "Actis Outlines Plan to Build on Abraaj’s Assets," 7 Dec. 2018 And a new bill, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act, would cement the role of DHS in defending IT infrastructure, including elections. — Benjamin Wofford, Vox, "The midterms are already hacked. You just don’t know it yet.," 25 Oct. 2018 An article from Noisey predicts A Star Is Born will cement Gaga's position as an all-time Hollywood great. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Lady Gaga Didn't Need A Star Is Born to Be Taken Seriously," 28 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cement.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
The Good, The Bad, & The...
The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 1/11/19
The words that defined the week of January 11th, 2019
Dictionary Entries near cement
Statistics for cement
Last Updated
10 Mar 2019
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for cement
The first known use of cement was in the 14th century
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More Definitions for cement
cement
noun
English Language Learners Definition of cement
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a soft gray powder that is mixed with water and other substances to make concrete
: the hard substance that is made when cement is mixed with water and allowed to dry
: a substance that is used to make things stick together
cement
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of cement (Entry 2 of 2)
: to join (things) together with cement
: to make (something) stronger
See the full definition for cement in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cement
noun
ce·ment
| \ si-ˈment
\
\
Kids Definition of cement
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a powder that is made mainly from compounds of aluminum, calcium, silicon, and iron heated together and then ground and mixed with water to make mortar and concrete
2
: concrete entry 2, mortar
3
: a substance used to make things stick together firmly
cement
verb
cemented;
cementing
Kids Definition of cement (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to join together with or as if with cement
There were sheets of ice … cementing the tops of the hemlocks in arches.— Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain
2
: to make stronger
The experience cemented their friendship.
cement
noun
ce·ment
| \ si-ˈment
\
\
Medical Definition of cement
1
: cementum
2
: a plastic composition made especially of zinc or silica for filling dental cavities
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