tarmac

1 of 2

noun

tar·​mac ˈtär-ˌmak 

: a tarmacadam road, apron, or runway

Tarmac

2 of 2

trademark

—used for a bituminous binder for roads

Examples of tarmac in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That’s more than enough breathing room for a modern retro that’s mostly meant to ply on slick tarmac. — New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2026

Complete with a tarmac road and Space Age cars, Nicolas Ghesquière had turned the Cour Carrée of the Louvre into a retro-futurist racing track for his spring show, the vehicles’ headlights shining as the sun went down over the event’s finale. — Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026

The contrast to the White House’s treatment of a key ally, Japan — whose leader arrived on an empty tarmac then faced pressure over her country’s currency — was stark. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026

The last president to make the gesture was Barack Obama, who greeted then-Pope Francis on the Andrews tarmac 11 years ago this week. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from Tarmac, a trademark

First Known Use

Noun

1919, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tarmac

• the tarmac

Rhymes for tarmac

• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback

Kids Definition

tarmac

noun

tar·​mac ˈtär-ˌmak 

: a road, apron, or runway paved with layers of crushed stone covered with tar