macadam
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of macadam
1815–25; named after J. L. McAdam (1756–1836), Scottish engineer who invented it
Vocabulary lists containing macadam
You Name It: Eponyms
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Some Obscure Eponyms
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Part 3 Vocabulary & Literary Terms (Unit 5)
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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.
Tho’ her tongue is soft, her heart’s macadam.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2019
You may note that good intentions are the macadam on the road to hell.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 27, 2015
It turns out it’s short for tarmacadam, or tar-penetration macadam.
From Forbes ● Sep. 18, 2014
In all three cases we are offered what evidence of the truth cannot be avoided, and then it is quickly dispatched to oblivion by those laying down the macadam.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2014
With three incomes, the family might soon be able to afford a house of their own, perhaps on one of the wide macadam streets of Englewood.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
