cement

UK: /sɪˈmɛnt/ US: /sɪˈmɛnt/ ,(si ment′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ce•ment /sɪˈmɛnt/   n. 

1. Building a mixture of clay and limestone, usually mixed with water and sand, etc., to form concrete, used as a building material:
   [uncountable] a floor made of cement.
2. Building any soft, sticky substance that dries hard and is used for mending broken objects:
   [uncountable] a jar of paper cement.
3. anything that binds or unites:
   [countable* usually singular] Their children were the cement of their family.

v. [~ + object]

4. Building to unite or join by or as if by cement: Cement part 65a to part 65b;
   set aside to dry.
5. Building to coat or cover with cement:
   The workers cemented the floors of the apartment building.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ce•ment  (si ment′), n. 

1. Building any of various calcined mixtures of clay and limestone, usually mixed with water and sand, gravel, etc., to form concrete, that are used as a building material.
2. Building any of various soft, sticky substances that dry hard or stonelike, used esp. for mending broken objects or for making things adhere.
3. Rocks [Petrog.] the compact groundmass surrounding and binding together the fragments of clastic rocks.
4. anything that binds or unites:
   Time is the cement of friendship.
5. Dentistry
   • a hardening, adhesive, plastic substance, used in the repair of teeth for anchoring fillings or inlays, for filling, or for fastening crowns.
   • Informal Terms cementum.

v.t. 

6. Building to unite by or as if by cement:
   to cement stones to form a wall; to cement a relationship.
7. Building to coat or cover with cement:
   to cement a floor.

v.i. 

8. to become cemented;
   join together or unite;
   cohere.

• Latin, as above
• Old French ciment
• *caed-mentom, equivalent. to caed(ere) to cut + -mentum -ment; replacing Middle English cyment
• Latin cēmentum, variant of caementum (singular of caementa unprocessed cuttings from the quarry, i.e., rough stone and chips)
• 1250–1300

ce•ment′a•ble, adj. 
ce•ment′er, n. 
ce•ment′less, adj. 
Synonyms

• 6. merge, join, bind, fuse, secure.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cement / sɪˈmɛnt/ noun

1. a fine grey powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay, used with water and sand to make mortar, or with water, sand, and aggregate, to make concrete
2. a binder, glue, or adhesive
3. something that unites or joins; bond
4. any of various materials used in filling teeth
5. another word for cementum

verb (transitive)

1. to join, bind, or glue together with or as if with cement
2. to coat or cover with cement

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French ciment, from Latin caementum stone from the quarry, from caedere to hew