cement
cement — noun
1. A fine powder made from minerals that hardens after water is added. Builders mix
A fine powder made from minerals that hardens after water is added. Builders mix it with sand and stones to create a solid building material used for walls, paths, and floors.
The construction workers mixed cement with water and sand to build the new garden wall.
collocation: mix cement with water and sand
A truck delivered fifteen bags of cement to the building site early this morning.
Once the cement dries, it becomes hard enough to hold bricks in place.
The factory produces enough cement each month to build fifty new houses.
常見錯誤
2. Any thick, sticky substance used to join two surfaces or to fill cracks, sold in
Any thick, sticky substance used to join two surfaces or to fill cracks, sold in tubes or pots for household or workshop repairs.
Ravi used strong cement to stick the broken handle back onto his favourite mug.
collocation: strong cement
Aiko bought cement at the hardware store to repair her cracked flower pot.
This rubber cement works well for gluing tiles onto a bathroom wall.
Priya used cement to seal the gaps around the bathroom sink.
常見錯誤
3. A shared quality — such as a language, belief, memory, or goal — that keeps a gr
A shared quality — such as a language, belief, memory, or goal — that keeps a group of people strongly connected and working together.
The shared language served as a cement that held the community together across four generations.
figurative use: cement that holds [group] together
Music can act as a powerful social cement, bringing together people from very different backgrounds.
compound: social cement
The team's loyalty was the cement that held them together through every defeat.
Their love of traditional dance became the cement that held the club together for forty years.
- bond
Bond focuses on the emotional connection itself; cement focuses on the force that creates and maintains that connection.
- glue
Glue is used in the same figurative way ('the glue that holds a team together') but feels slightly more informal than cement.
- link
Link is more neutral and less emotionally strong than cement — a link connects, but cement binds firmly.
- division
Division is a force that separates people, opposite to the uniting force of cement.
用法筆記
Almost always used in figurative or metaphorical contexts, often in the phrase 'the cement that holds (a group) together.' Avoid using this sense when talking about physical building materials.
cement — verb
1. To cover a surface with cement or to attach one object firmly to another using c
To cover a surface with cement or to attach one object firmly to another using cement or a similar strong adhesive.
The builder cemented the metal post into the ground to make the fence stand firm.
pattern: cement + object + into + place
Diego cemented each broken tile onto the kitchen floor until the surface was smooth.
The loose bricks were cemented back into the wall before winter made the damage worse.
The plumber cemented the broken pipe joint to stop the leak.
- glue
Glue is the general verb for joining with adhesive; cement suggests using a cement-like material and usually implies heavier, more durable objects.
- fix
Fix is broader and does not specify the method — you can fix something with nails, screws, or cement.
- attach
Attach is more general and less physical in feel — you attach a file to an email; you cement a post into the ground.
文法句型
cement + object + to/onto + surface
cement + object + in/into + place
用法筆記
Commonly used in the passive voice when describing the result ('the tiles were cemented in place'). The object is usually a building component (brick, tile, post, slab).
常見錯誤
2. To make a relationship, agreement, or position firmer and more lasting, especial
To make a relationship, agreement, or position firmer and more lasting, especially by doing something that strengthens the connection between the people or groups involved.
The two companies cemented their partnership by signing a five-year trade agreement.
pattern: cement + a partnership
Winning the championship cemented the team's reputation as the strongest squad in the league.
Leila cemented her position in the company by leading three successful projects in a row.
The festival cemented the bond between the two neighbouring towns.
- strengthen
Strengthen is the most general word and works in any context; cement adds the nuance of creating a long-lasting, unbreakable bond.
- consolidate
Consolidate emphasizes making something more solid by combining parts; cement emphasizes the act of binding people or groups together.
- solidify
Solidify suggests moving from a loose or uncertain state to a definite one ('solidify a plan'), while cement focuses on interpersonal or positional bonds.
- reinforce
Reinforce means adding extra support to something that already exists, while cement implies creating or finalizing a lasting connection.
文法句型
cement + noun_phrase (relationship/partnership/reputation/position/bond)
用法筆記
Commonly used with abstract nouns such as relationship, partnership, friendship, reputation, position, bond, status, or agreement. This sense does not describe physical sticking — use sense 1 for physical objects.