kän-ˈkrēt
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We can trace "concrete" back to the Latin verb concrescere, meaning "to grow together." Appropriately, when it first entered English "concrete" could mean "connected by growth." Logicians and grammarians also applied "concrete" to words that expressed a quality viewed as being united with the thing it describes. That in turn led to the sense of "concrete" which we now contrast with "abstract"—concrete words express actual things ("rock," "lizard, "harpsichord"), while abstract words express qualities apart from actual things ("bliss," "freedom," "turpitude"). It was not until the 19th century that the noun "concrete," and its related adjective, began to be used for the building material composed of cementing material and sand, gravel, or similar materials.
Synonyms
Examples of concrete in a Sentence
Jeremy Childs, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
The museum is split into different sections focused on the classic ballparks, which are characterized by their concrete structures and surrounding neighborhoods, including the last two remaining ones in Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Republicans have had huge difficulty for more than a decade in uniting behind any concrete plan for cutting the federal deficit.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Half of the structural steel is erected on the site, interior slabs are being poured, concrete walls are going up and masonry is beginning on interior walls.
—Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2024
The team president has increasingly referred to the A’s home stadium at the Coliseum property with disdain, noting the outdated standards for professional sports within the concrete stadium.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Women continue to be a core constituency for Democrats, and making sure that party women throughout the country are given specific, concrete tasks that connect directly to the major points of the president’s reelection campaign is another lesson that can be drawn from nearly 80 years ago.
—TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
From the driveway and three-car garage, a long, lighted set of concrete steps leads to the front door.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024
Raising alarms:Gilbert park's concrete slide has caused broken ankles.
—Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 28 Mar. 2024
Peter Aitken, Fox News, 14 July 2023
These stipulations have helped concrete over huge chunks of America—there are between three and six car parking spaces per car in the US, numbering up to 2 billion in total, according to some estimates.
—Oliver Milman, WIRED, 7 Jan. 2023
Rigolon acknowledged that having a large area of irrigated turf is preferable to asphalt or concrete.
—Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 July 2022
Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The hole dug for the foundation was enormous, and vast amounts of concrete arrived every day on trucks, along with puzzling items: 110 urinals, huge steel doors.
—Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
Using massive barges and floating cranes, crews are clearing the hulking pieces of steel and hunks of concrete that have crippled the Port of Baltimore and spread economic pain locally and nationally.
—Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
In the church courtyard, a gray-haired man is sweeping up broken glass and gathering small pieces of concrete.
—Claire Harbage, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Some of the bridge’s support piers are encased in substantial amounts of concrete.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Potential changes include the amount of concrete versus green space on properties and how dirty the water pouring into canals and waterways is allowed to be.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
The firm incorporated many raw materials, such as seamless concrete, maple wood, exposed brick, and lime plaster, and paired them against sleeker materials and finishes that include honed and polished marble, glass, and brass accents.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Operations staff members noticed cracks in the original concrete in Section N, revealing an approximately 700-square-foot open area underneath.
—Katherine Itoh, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'concrete.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
Middle English concret "(of words) denoting a quality as adherent in a substance rather than in isolation," borrowed from Medieval Latin concrētus "composite, solidified, (of words) denoting a quality adherent in a substance rather than in isolation," going back to Latin, "formed, composite, condensed, solid," from past participle of concrēscere "to coalesce, condense, solidify, harden" — more at concrescence
Verb
borrowed from Latin concrētus, past participle of concrēscere "to coalesce, condense, solidify, harden" — more at concrescence
Noun
derivative of concrete entry 1
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1590, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing concrete
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Cite this Entry
“Concrete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concrete. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
concrete
1 of 3 adjective
kən-
concrete
2 of 3 verb
(ˈ)kän-ˈkrēt
concrete
3 of 3 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on concrete
Nglish: Translation of concrete for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of concrete for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about concrete
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