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

Sinkhole at LaGuardia swallows plans One of only two runways at New York’s bustling LaGuardia Airport remains closed as fallout from Wednesday’s discovery of a sinkhole on the pavement spills into the weekend. —Holly Yan, CNN Money, 22 May 2026

Rear diffuser is fed by aero elements that comprise a full-length belly pan, there’s an active panel under the chin, and an active rear spoiler, all of which help keep those four big gummy tires firmly planted on the pavement, delivering over 1100 horsepower with ruthless efficiency. —Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

In 2019, during his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Landis fell 42 feet off a balcony and landed on the pavement. —Michael Spencer, CBS News, 18 May 2026

The older the pavement on Irving gets, the better the timing for the road diet and trail project looks. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026

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
• pounded the streets/pavement
• 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