I. con ‧ crete 1 /ˈkɒŋkriːt $ kɑːnˈkriːt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: concretus , past participle of concrescere 'to grow together' , from com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + crescere 'to grow' ]
1 . made of concrete:
a concrete floor
2 . definite and specific ⇨ abstract :
What does that mean in concrete terms?
the lack of any concrete evidence
a dialogue about concrete issues and problems
—concretely adverb
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ nouns
▪ concrete evidence
First, the police must have concrete evidence of an offence.
▪ a concrete example
I can illustrate this point with a concrete example.
▪ a concrete proposal
People talked a lot but made few concrete proposals.
▪ concrete results
The negotiations failed to achieve any concrete results.
▪ concrete action
In order to solve this problem, the government must take concrete action.
▪ (a) concrete form
A society's culture is expressed in a concrete form in the arts.
■ phrases
▪ in concrete terms
Let me explain what I mean in more concrete terms.
▪ take concrete steps to do something
The country has to take concrete steps to end the violence.
II. con ‧ crete 2 /ˈkɒŋkriːt $ ˈkɑːŋ-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
a substance used for building that is made by mixing sand, small stones, ↑ cement , and water
III. con ‧ crete 3 /ˈkɒŋkriːt $ ˈkɑːŋ-/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to cover something such as a path, wall etc with concrete