pavement

noun

pave·​ment ˈpāv-mənt 

1

: a paved surface: such as

a

: the artificially covered surface of a public thoroughfare

b

chiefly British : sidewalk

2

: the material with which something is paved

3

: something that suggests a pavement (as in flatness, hardness, and extent of surface)

Examples of pavement in a Sentence

He stopped the car just off the pavement.

The summer heat rose off the pavement.

Recent Examples on the Web

Part of the project also calls for redoing concrete pavement installed in 2000 that did not meet design specifications and which has fractured and crumbled. —Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2025

This is unsightly and can cause a safety hazard if the pavement is wet. —Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 July 2025

When navigating through a DDI, drivers follow the signs, signals and pavement markings to be briefly shifted to the opposite side of the road. —Liliana Fannin, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025

Concrete and pavement disrupt the natural absorption of water runoff, which keeps rain from soaking into the ground and instead sends it to storm drains that can easily overflow or become clogged with debris. —Luke Snyder, CNN Money, 14 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin pavimentum, from pavire

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pavement

• hit the pavement
• pavement café
• pound the streets/pavement

Rhymes for pavement

• enslavement

Kids Definition

pavement

noun

pave·​ment ˈpāv-mənt 

1

: a paved surface (as of a street)

2

: the material with which something is paved