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)

Example Sentences

He stopped the car just off the pavement.

The summer heat rose off the pavement.

Recent Examples on the Web

Eight crosses with candlelights were spread out on the pavement. —Alfredo Corchado, Dallas News, 11 May 2023

Best Cordless Leaf Blowers What to Consider Electric leaf blowers will sweep pavement of grass clippings and remove a scattering of light leaves from normal-height grass. —Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 4 May 2023

The ancient pavement is 24 feet and 10 inches square and made from 90,000 pieces of glass and hand-cut stone, much of it recycled from Roman mosaics. —Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023

Different modes can fine-tune your powertrain and steering receptivity for different conditions – mud, gravel, snow, pavement – or to maximize your energy. —Josh Max, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023

The city planned to replace four blocks of pavement and sidewalk from Chicago Avenue to Benton Avenue this year in a project similar to the work completed on other downtown streets in 2022. —Suzanne Baker, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2023

Broken glass and blood stains littered the street pavement outside the sedan. —oregonlive, 14 Feb. 2023

In Seattle, juvenile terns tried to flee rooftop nests for cooler cover and died, plunging to the burning asphalt pavement below. —Marion Renault, The New Republic, 3 May 2023

For runners who often transition from smooth pavement to uneven singletrack or fire roads, the Scarpa Golden Gate ATR provides a one-shoe solution for your next outing. —Nathan Borchelt, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2023

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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
• pound the streets/pavement
• pavement café

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

Kids Definition

pavement

noun

pave·​ment ˈpāv-mənt 

1

: a paved surface (as of a street)

2

: the material with which something is paved