concrete

verb · adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Analogous to the categories of algebraic objects which category theory was created to generalize….

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kuhnkreet

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

kənkˈɹit

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

usually transitive
To cover with or encase in concrete (building material).
usually transitive
To solidify: to change from being abstract to being concrete (actual, real).
Cover with cement
Form into a solid mass; coalesce

adjective

Real, actual, tangible.
(by extension, topos theory, of a category C with respect to another category X) Equipped with a faithful functor to X (called a base category), in which case C is called a concrete category over X.
category theoryof a category
Analogous to the categories of algebraic objects which category theory was created to generalize, in the sense of having objects which can be thought of as sets equipped with some additional structure. Formally, equipped with a faithful functor to the category of sets.
Being or applying to actual things, rather than abstract qualities or categories.
Particular, specific, rather than general.

noun

A strong hard building material composed of sand and gravel and cement and water
countableuncountable
A building material created by mixing cement, water, and aggregate such as gravel and sand.
us
A dessert of frozen custard with various toppings.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Word Aura is being prepared for this meaning.

More ways to use concrete

“They poured new concrete for the patio in the backyard.”adjective

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Extension / analogous

concrete floorconcrete termsconcrete evidence

Other combinations

concrete blockconcrete slabconcrete formconcrete exampleconcrete reality

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

concrete junglenounCompound term
An area in a city with large modern buildings that is perceived as dangerous and unpleasant.
concrete representationnounCompound term
A representation of an abstract idea in concrete terms.
concrete mixernounCompound term
A machine with a large revolving drum in which cement is mixed with other materials to make concrete.
reinforced concretenounCompound term
Concrete with metal and/or mesh added to provide extra support against stresses.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.