pavement

[ peyv-muh nt ]

/ ˈpeɪv mənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pavement ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a paved road, highway, etc.

a paved surface, ground covering, or floor.

a material used for paving.

Atlantic States and British. sidewalk.

Nearby words

Idioms

pound the pavement, Informal. to walk the streets in order to accomplish something: If you're going to find work you'd better start pounding the pavement.

Origin of pavement

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin pavīmentum. See pave, -ment

Related formspave·men·tal

[peyv-men-tl] /peɪvˈmɛn tl/, adjectivepre·pave·ment, nounsub·pave·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pavement

Blood spatters on the pavement seem to confirm that he was moving toward Wilson when the instantly fatal shot was fired.
90 Seconds of Fury in Ferguson Are the Key to Making Peace in America|Michael Daly|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This year, however, Democratic dominance at pounding the pavement might finally be challenged.
Fight Over the Ground Game in Iowa Could Swing the Senate|Ben Jacobs|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Democrats have long dominated at pounding the pavement in the Hawkeye State.
Fight Over the Ground Game in Iowa Could Swing the Senate|Ben Jacobs|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“For some unknown reason, the vehicle traveled off the pavement at a gradual angle,” the troopers wrote.
The Cops Who Found Out the Truth About GM's Deadly Cars—in 2006|Michael Daly|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Buzzfeed assures me that deadbeats camped out on the pavement in big cities are hipsters.
Why Do We Hate Hipsters So F'ing Much?|Ted Gioia|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Suddenly from far away, there came a dull explosion which rocked the pavement.
Signal in the Dark|Mildred A. Wirt
On the pavement bricks the flesh of a slain animal could be roasted to a turn.
Istar of Babylon|Margaret Horton Potter
Miss Piper glided in sideways, holding her head down as if she were searching for a dropped pin on the pavement.
In the Wilderness|Robert Hichens
A barrel-organ was grinding out a tune; children danced in the sunshine on the pavement.
The Kingdom Round the Corner|Coningsby Dawson
A newsboy came racing along the pavement, with an armful of sheets, wet from the press.
The Sins of Sverac Bablon|Sax Rohmer

British Dictionary definitions for pavement

pavement

/ (ˈpeɪvmənt) /

noun

a hard-surfaced path for pedestrians alongside and a little higher than a roadUS and Canadian word: sidewalk

a paved surface, esp one that is a thoroughfare

the material used in paving

civil engineering the hard layered structure that forms a road carriageway, airfield runway, vehicle park, or other paved areas

geology a level area of exposed rock resembling a paved roadSee limestone pavement

Word Origin for pavement

C13: from Latin pavīmentum a hard floor, from pavīre to beat hard

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pavement

pavement

mid-13c., from Old French pavement "roadway, pathway; paving stone" (12c.) and directly from Latin pavimentum "hard floor, level surface beaten firm," from pavire (see pave).

Idioms and Phrases with pavement

pavement

see pound the pavement.

pavement

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of pavement

Examples from the Web for pavement

pavement

noun

Word Origin for pavement

pavement

pavement