sidewalk

American  

[sahyd-wawk] / ˈsaɪdˌwɔk /

noun

• sidewalks
  plural

1. a walk, especially a paved one, at the side of a street or road.

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sidewalk British  

/ ˈsaɪdˌwɔːk /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): pavement.  a hard-surfaced path for pedestrians alongside and a little higher than a road

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sidewalks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sidewalk

First recorded in 1660–70; side ¹ + walk

Explanation

A sidewalk is a paved path for walking, often alongside a road. If your neighborhood has sidewalks, it's easier and safer to take a little jog. While English speakers in other parts of the world might use words like footpath or pavement instead, North Americans typically use sidewalk. Most sidewalks are slightly higher than the street and are often separated from them by a curb or a strip of grass. There is some historical evidence that Ancient Greece had sidewalks, though the word itself dates from about 1740.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sidewalk sidewalks

Walk heel-to-toe on the sidewalk to the curb and back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

But many of his projects are again succumbing to time, with chunks of pediment falling to the sidewalk.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

It’s been galvanizing to hear cheers on the sidewalk and realize that a crowd has been watching a match.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Seated on the overpass on a swelteringly hot day, the 32-year-old said he picked his particular strip of sidewalk for the shade it gets from the elevated 110 Freeway carpool lane.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

Mr. Weil had not moved from the spot on the sidewalk where the soldier had left him.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Duryea’s sits on a rugged stretch of road with no sidewalks, surrounded by marshland and sparkling bay views.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

For a time, the internet did put a Band-Aid on this problem, bringing isolated communities together and providing the sort of crosstalk they couldn’t hear on the abandoned sidewalks of gated developments.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Security footage showed one of the men staggering down the cobblestone sidewalks of São Paulo’s historic center under the weight of the framed prints as people strolled by, seemingly unaware of the heist under way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

People in the community have also reported seeing large rats, and they say traps placed along sidewalks aren't big enough to hold them.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

There’s trash on the streets and sidewalks, too.

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

Related Words

• boardwalk
• pavement
• walkway