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pavement

/ˈpeɪvmənt/
/ˈpeɪvmənt/
IPA guide

Other forms: pavements

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."

Definitions of pavement
  1. noun
    the paved surface of a thoroughfare
    synonyms: paving
    see moresee less
    types:
    curbside
    the side of a sidewalk that is bordered by a curb
    type of:
    paved surface
    a level horizontal surface covered with paving material
  2. noun
    material used to pave an area
    synonyms: paving, paving material
    see moresee less
    types:
    asphalt
    mixed asphalt and crushed gravel or sand; used especially for paving but also for roofing
    concrete
    a strong hard building material composed of sand and gravel and cement and water
    blacktop, blacktopping
    a black bituminous material used for paving roads or other areas; usually spread over crushed rock
    macadam
    broken stone used in macadamized roadways
    tarmac, tarmacadam
    a paving material of tar and broken stone; mixed in a factory and shaped during paving
    cement
    concrete pavement sometimes referred to as cement
    ferroconcrete, reinforced concrete
    concrete with metal and/or mesh added to provide extra support against stresses
    type of:
    artefact, artifact
    a man-made object taken as a whole
  3. noun
    walk consisting of a paved area for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway
    synonyms: sidewalk
    see moresee less
    type of:
    paseo, walk, walkway
    a path set aside for walking
Pronunciation
US
/ˈpeɪvmənt/
UK
/ˈpeɪvmənt/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘pavement'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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