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

Sections of southbound and northbound Loop 101 will be closed at different times for pavement sealing. —Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Ultimately, the council unanimously decided to continue exploring the city’s options, plus look into the cost of placing lighting within the roadway pavement to alert night-time drivers about the approaching roundabout. —Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025

The bullets tore through multiple people and ricocheted off nearby objects, sending shrapnel into the crowd, before settling on the pavement, Azmoudeh said. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025

One, frightened, pressed her belly into the pavement. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 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