concrete

[[t]kɒ̱ŋkriːt[/t]]

♦♦♦

concretes, concreting, concreted

1) N-UNCOUNT: oft N n Concrete is a substance used for building which is made by mixing together cement, sand, small stones, and water.

The posts have to be set in concrete...

They had lain on sleeping bags on the concrete floor.

...concrete barriers.

2) VERB When you concrete something such as a path, you cover it with concrete.

[V n] He merely cleared and concreted the floors.

3) ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n You use concrete to indicate that something is definite and specific.

He had no concrete evidence...

There were no concrete proposals on the table...

I must have something to tell him. Something concrete.

Derived words:

concretely ADV-GRADED oft ADV with cl

...by way of making their point more concretely.

4) ADJ: usu ADJ n A concrete object is a real, physical object.

...using concrete objects to teach addition and subtraction.

5) ADJ: ADJ n A concrete noun is a noun that refers to a physical object rather than to a quality or idea.

Ant:

abstract

6) PHRASE: v-link PHR If a plan or idea is set in concrete or embedded in concrete, it is fixed and cannot be changed.

As Mr Blunkett emphasised, nothing is yet set in concrete.