pavement

American  

[peyv-muhnt] / ˈpeɪv mənt /

noun

pavements plural

1. a paved road, highway, etc.

2. a paved surface, ground covering, or floor.

3. a material used for paving.

4. Atlantic States and British. sidewalk.

---

idioms

1. pound the pavement, to walk the streets in order to accomplish something.

   If you're going to find work you'd better start pounding the pavement.

pavement British  

/ ˈpeɪvmənt /

noun

1. US and Canadian word: sidewalk.  a hard-surfaced path for pedestrians alongside and a little higher than a road

2. a paved surface, esp one that is a thoroughfare

3. the material used in paving

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

5. geology a level area of exposed rock resembling a paved road See limestone pavement

---

pavement More Idioms  

1. see pound the pavement.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prepavement
  noun
• subpavement
  noun
• pavemental
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pavements
  plural

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

BBC Verify has been analysing video footage of the blasts, which shows the explosions happened approximately 125m from the Four Seasons hotel, on the pavement of Shoukry al-Quowatly, a major thoroughfare running through the capital.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026

For the first time, the city has also got its own detachment of mounted police officers, workers have filled in the potholes and manhole covers have finally been laid flush with the surrounding pavement.

From Barron's • Jul. 4, 2026

The team is also comparing polymer release from the pavement with the amount of tire material found in road dust.

From Science Daily • Jun. 28, 2026

A person sat on the pavement behind the car, talking to officers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2026

Exhausted from the effort, Mom slumps down onto the pavement, panting.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• asphalt
• road
• sidewalk