noun
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US and Canadian word: sidewalk. a hard-surfaced path for pedestrians alongside and a little higher than a road
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a paved surface, esp one that is a thoroughfare
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the material used in paving
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civil engineering the hard layered structure that forms a road carriageway, airfield runway, vehicle park, or other paved areas
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geology a level area of exposed rock resembling a paved road See limestone pavement
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pavement
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin pavīmentum. See pave, -ment
Explanation
Pavement is a hard surface that's covered in concrete or asphalt, like a road or a driveway. If you wipe out on your bike and land on the pavement, you may end up with skinned knees or scraped elbows. When pavement is newly surfaced or patched, it's smooth and even — but after a long, cold winter pavement is often full of potholes and cracks. In the US, pavement most often refers to a road or street, but it can also mean any paved surface, like a sidewalk or paved area in a park. The word has a Latin root, pavimentum, "level surface that's been beaten firm."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Young people on the pavement nearby started dancing.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
All Roadsters have a fan-suction system that can make the car hug the pavement at high speeds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Former California state Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg has been pounding the pavement, trying to encourage voters to support Proposition 37 on ballots statewide.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The interviewees who didn’t want to be filmed are played by actors, including executive producer Emma Thompson wedged between an undercarriage and pavement as the unidentified van protester.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The phone hit the pavement face-first, bounced up and around, and clipped the corner.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Potential applications include concrete pavements, highway parapet walls, and sewer pipelines.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Across the pavements, residential areas and public spaces of African cities, the informal economy is booming under the noses of authorities, who are often powerless to stop it.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
You note that California’s new tire regulations are “perilous” because they may increase stopping distances on wet pavements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Residents have described riders performing wheelies and riding on pavements and footpaths at high speed, often while wearing balaclavas.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The sun heated the pavements until they felt like the top of an oven.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
