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

Improvements will include cosmetic renovations on pavement resurfacing, updates to traffic signals, streetlights and replacing an aging water line between Western and Lee avenues. —Josh Kelly, Oklahoman, 15 Jan. 2026

Rain that gets through cracks in the pavement softens the soil beneath, causing more deformation under traffic loading and leading to more cracking, according to Jonathan Stewart, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026

Video from Ford Fischer with News2Share showed agents roughly handcuffing the man with his face on the pavement, and carrying him away as people in the area yelled, honked and blew whistles. —Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2026

There are two restaurants (one helmed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the other, an outpost of the Parisian mainstay Caviar Kaspia), as well as a playful array of amenities, from a pavement hotdog stand to a yacht for sailing trips on the Hudson. —The Week Uk, TheWeek, 11 Jan. 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