Tarmac
a brand of bituminous binder, similar to tarmacadam, for surfacing roads, airport runways, parking areas, etc.
Tarmac
American
[tahr-mak]
/ ˈtɑr mæk /
Trademark.
noun
-
(lowercase) a road, airport runway, parking area, etc., paved with Tarmac, tarmacadam, or a layer of tar.
-
(lowercase) a layer or covering of Tarmac, tarmacadam, or tar.
tarmac
British
/ ˈtɑːmæk /
noun
-
Full name: tarmacadam. a paving material that consists of crushed stone rolled and bound with a mixture of tar and bitumen, esp as formerly used for a road, airport runway, etc See also macadam
-
a runway at an airport
on the tarmac at Nairobi airport
verb
Explanation
If your airplane is on the tarmac, that means you're either just about to take off or you've just landed. Either way, the tarmac is the paved runway at the airport. The term tarmac refers to the area of an airport where airplanes taxi, or pull up to a gate, or head out to the runway. The runway itself is also called the tarmac. The name comes from a specific tar-based paving material that's also commonly used on roads. Originally, the word was trademarked as shorthand for tarmacadam, "tar mixed with crushed rock."
Vocabulary lists containing tarmac
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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:
He greeted him on the Tarmac when Trump came to visit L.A.
From Slate ● May 30, 2025
Building firms Tarmac and Lightwater Holdings, which gifted the land, said they would work with the heritage organisations to help preserve the site and improve public access to it.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2023
Tarmac softens in hot weather which would likely cause a heavy airplane to sink into it.
From Forbes ● Sep. 18, 2014
Airbus owns a stake in Tarmac Aerosave, a French company that stores, repairs and tears down aircraft.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 10, 2014
Tarmac The line of departure on the field.
From Aces Up by Covington Clarke
These can be seen on the tarmac at Kisangani's airport, dressed in green fatigues and carrying out maintenance on military aircraft.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Earlier this year, planes in Dubai and in Tel Aviv were damaged on the tarmac, triggering consternation among insurers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
In a rare move, Trump welcomed Xi's entourage at the airport as the US Air Force band marched on the tarmac and US and Chinese flags flew.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Happy ending for stray pup that sparked wild tarmac chase.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
He climbed out of the car and looked at the strip of tarmac with thick bush on either side and thought of the people who did so much with so little.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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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.
