Portland cement

noun

Port·​land cement ˈpȯrt-lən(d)- 

variants or less commonly portland cement

: a cement (see cement entry 1 sense 1b) that sets under water and that is made by finely pulverizing the clinker produced by heating a mixture of clay and limestone or similar materials to a high temperature just short of fusing

Drexel engineers have found a way to improve upon ordinary Portland cement …, the glue that's bonded much of the world's construction since the late 1800s.

—Swiss National Science Foundation

Once the joints are open, refill them with a dry mix of stone dust and portland cement, mixed at a ratio of 1 part cement to 6 parts dust.

—This Old House

Examples of Portland cement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its three open-spandrel arches were made using Portland cement. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

In the 1930s, engineers discovered that fly ash could replace a portion of the Portland cement normally used to make concrete. — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

Thinset is a blend of Portland cement, fine silica sand, and sometimes a few additives. — Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026

The material has been designed as a partial replacement and can be mixed into standard concrete recipes to replace up to 30% of Portland cement. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Isle of Portland, England; from its resemblance to a limestone found there

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Portland cement

• misrepresent
• accent
• advent
• ascent
• assent
• augment
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• dissent
• event

Kids Definition

portland cement

noun

port·​land cement ˌpōrt-lən(d)- 

ˌpȯrt-

: a cement made of clay and limestone