From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishconcretecon‧crete1 /ˈkɒŋkriːt $ kɑːnˈkriːt/ ●●○ adjective 1 TBCmade of concrete a concrete floor2 DETAILdefinite and specific → abstract What does that mean in concrete terms? the lack of any concrete evidence a dialogue about concrete issues and problems —concretely adverbCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: definite and specificnounsconcrete evidenceFirst, the police must have concrete evidence of an offence.a concrete exampleI can illustrate this point with a concrete example.a concrete proposalPeople talked a lot but made few concrete proposals.concrete resultsThe negotiations failed to achieve any concrete results.concrete actionIn order to solve this problem, the government must take concrete action.(a) concrete formA society's culture is expressed in a concrete form in the arts.phrasesin concrete termsLet me explain what I mean in more concrete terms.take concrete steps to do somethingThe country has to take concrete steps to end the violence.
Examples from the Corpus
concrete• It would, by virtue of the fact that it was scientifically detectable, be concrete.• Concrete beams and a concrete wall will tend to move as one.• They were following the concrete channel of the serpentine rill, which emptied itself into a pool of stygian blackness.• He fell and hit his head on the concrete floor.• With the attainment of concrete operations, the ability to reason logically about and solve conservation problems emerges.• Trent dived belly flat into the protection of a bush sprouting from beside the concrete piling.• No mention is made of any concrete plans to address workers' complaints.• It was the first major concrete structure to be built in Britain since Roman times.• Just tell him what you want in clear and concrete terms.concrete evidence• Beyond this, there is much speculation but little or no concrete evidence.• Not even the National Enquirer can dispute such concrete evidence.• The report appears content that such rhetorical gaps loom between the concrete evidence it amasses and the maxims it imparts.• In the absence of any concrete evidence of an agreement it is unlikely that this could have been done.• They were continual concrete evidence of the sleight of hand which had conjured me from one world to another.• What members will be hoping for is some early results and some concrete evidence that their voices are being heard.concretecon‧crete2 /ˈkɒŋkriːt $ ˈkɑːŋ-/ ●●○ noun [uncountable] TBCa substance used for building that is made by mixing sand, small stones, cement, and waterExamples from the Corpus
concrete• For instance, one person may estimate only electrical work, whereas another may concentrate on excavation, concrete, and forms.• To set that in concrete seems beside the point.• A twenty-five-foot wave carrying huge pieces of concrete flattened schools and ripped away bridges.• He returned to the North to work on the problems of reinforced concrete for a commercial company.• She was on her knees, tights torn by rough concrete.concretecon‧crete3 /ˈkɒŋkriːt $ ˈkɑːŋ-/ verb [transitive] TBCto cover something such as a path, wall etc with concrete→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
concrete• As far as I could see, a holy well pointed out to me by my 1973 taxi driver had also been concreted.• Cutting Edges On boundaries that don't butt up to existing walls, blocks must first be concreted in position.Origin concrete2 (1300-1400) Latin concretus, past participle of concrescere “to grow together”, from com- ( → COM-) + crescere “to grow”