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

When the smoke cleared on October 4, 2024, Beloozerov’s body lay splayed out on the pavement amid shards of glass from his car window. — Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026

Keeber’s eldest son is still pounding the pavement looking for work as employers pull back entry-level hiring. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026

Tucked in the northern tip of the county is Jackson's hometown of Allagash, where pavement turns into the logging roads and where Jackson went to work as a lumberjack at 19. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Gonzalez fell out of the bus and onto the pavement at the Western Avenue and Exposition Boulevard stop, but Pitts did not stop his attack. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 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