These words both have material and non-material meanings.
Concrete (noun) is a material used in much urban architecture. Large buildings and sidewalks are usually made of concrete—a mixture of cheap minerals (stone), such as sand or gravel. We sometimes call urban environments a “concrete jungle.”
Cement, in contrast, is a similar material but has some more specific ingredients, which give it slightly different properties. Cement can be used in concrete, or in mortar—the material for gluing bricks together—or for gluing concrete blocks together. Cement can also be used alone for some things, such as, typically, in sidewalks—because it is easy to pour—but not as strong as concrete.
Concrete can also be used as an adjective, meaning “real, material, tangible, or substantive”:
Science does not recognize any truths without concrete evidence.
Quantum physics implies there is nothing concrete in the world.
Cement can also be used as a verb, meaning “to put things together firmly (as if with glue)”:
Let us shake hands to cement our agreement.
Let us cement our plans, so that there will be no question.
More Examples of How to Use "Cement" in a Sentence
- Cement is used in a variety of different ways. It can be used to make sidewalks and roads, as well as buildings and bridges.
- Cement is the most common ingredient in concrete, and it's also used in mortar.
- Cement is used to create durable structures such as houses and bridges.
- When cement is mixed with water, it forms a paste that can fill in gaps between bricks or stones.
- The construction workers had been working hard to install the cement floor.
- We rented a cement mixer to mix the concrete to lay for the new driveway extension.
- The floor of the garage is cemented down.
- We were able to get the roof fixed and the walls repaired, but the cement was never finished.
- The construction project was delayed because of a lack of cement.
More Examples of How to Use "Concrete" in a Sentence
- Concrete is often used for pavement, sidewalks, or other outdoor surfaces that need to be durable.
- Concrete is a versatile, natural building material that is durable, economical and environmentally friendly.
- I to use concrete examples in my writing because they help the reader understand my points better.
- Sometimes, it's difficult to come up with a concrete example on the spot.
- Marie was disappointed that the concrete was not as smooth as she had hoped.
- Tyrone walked over to the fence but was surprised to find that it had been replaced with a concrete wall.
- The concrete floor of the gym is extremely slippery.
- I wanted to create a concrete plan for my future, but I wasn't sure what steps to take next.
- A concrete idea is something that is tangible and can be physically seen or touched.
- One way to make an abstract idea more concrete is to put it into a specific context.