What does "cement" mean?
A powdered substance produced by firing (calcining) calcium carbonate (limestone) and clay that develops strong cohesive properties when mixed with water. The main ingredient of concrete.
Cement
/səˈmɛnt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A powdered substance produced by firing (calcining) calcium carbonate (limestone) and clay that develops strong cohesive properties when mixed with water. The main ingredient of concrete.
- Grammar: cement is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accouple, accumulate, adamant, adhere.
- Useful contrasts: clayey earths, organic topsoil, adobe.
- Usage evidence: A house is built on top of a solid foundation of cement.
How to use "cement"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cement" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cement" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cement" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cement" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cement" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accouple" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cement", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A powdered substance produced by firing (calcining) calcium carbonate (limestone) and clay that develops strong cohesive properties when mixed with water. The main ingredient of concrete. countable, uncountable
"In the autumn there was a row at some cement works about the unskilled labour men. A union had just been started for them and all but a few joined. One of these blacklegs was laid for by a picket and knocked out of time."
- 2 a specialized bony substance covering the root of a tooth wordnet
- 3 The paste-like substance resulting from mixing such a powder with water, or the rock-like substance that forms when it dries. uncountable
- 4 something that hardens to act as adhesive material wordnet
- 5 Any material with strong adhesive and cohesive properties such as binding agents, glues, grout. uncountable
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a building material that is a powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay; used with water and sand or gravel to make concrete and mortar wordnet
- 7 A bond of union; that which unites firmly, as persons in friendship or in society. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"the cement of our love"
- 8 concrete pavement is sometimes referred to as cement wordnet
- 9 The layer of bone investing the root and neck of a tooth; cementum. countable, uncountable
- 10 any of various materials used by dentists to fill cavities in teeth wordnet
Verb
- 1 To affix with cement. transitive
- 2 make fast as if with cement wordnet
- 3 To overlay or coat with cement. transitive
"to cement a cellar floor"
- 4 bind or join with or as if with cement wordnet
- 5 To unite firmly or closely. figuratively, transitive
"For they have entertained cause enough To draw their swords: but how the fear of us May cement their divisions and bind up The petty difference, we yet not know."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 cover or coat with cement wordnet
- 7 To make permanent. figuratively
"But friendſhip is a calm and ſedate affection, conducted by reaſon and cemented by habit; ſpringing from long acquaintance and mutual obligations; without jealouſies or fears; and without thoſe feveriſh fits of heat and cold, which cauſe ſuch an agreeable torment in the amorous paſſion."
Proper Noun
- 1 A town in Oklahoma.
Antonyms
Example
"A house is built on top of a solid foundation of cement."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cement"?
Common synonyms include: accouple, accumulate, adamant, adhere, adherent, adhesive.
How do you use "cement" in a sentence?
A house is built on top of a solid foundation of cement.
How do you pronounce "cement"?
Pronounced /səˈmɛnt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English syment, cyment, from Old French ciment, from Latin caementum (“quarry stone; stone chips for making mortar”), from caedō (“I cut, hew”). Doublet of cementum.
Etymology 2
Named for its early cement industry.