What does "pavement" mean?
A paved surface; a hard covering on the ground.
Pavement
/ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A paved surface; a hard covering on the ground.
- Grammar: pavement is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: paving material, adobe, ashlar, asphalt.
- Useful contrasts: carriageway, grass, roadbed.
- Usage evidence: Jeff had to pound the pavement for three months before he found a job.
How to use "pavement"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pavement" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pavement" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pavement" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pavement" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pavement" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "paving material" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pavement", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A paved surface; a hard covering on the ground. uncountable, usually
"The riches of heaven's pavement, trodden gold."
- 2 the paved surface of a thoroughfare wordnet
- 3 A paved path, for the use of pedestrians, located at the side of a road. Canada, Ireland, Mid-Atlantic, South-Africa, UK, US, countable, usually
"It was a cold and rainy afternoon as Ethel Churchill sat at the window of their new abode, a house in one of the streets leading from the Strand to the river. It was the day after their arrival, and nothing could well be more gloomy than the view: the pavement was wet, and a yellow mist obscured every object,..."
- 4 walk consisting of a paved area for pedestrians; usually beside a street or roadway wordnet
- 5 A paving (paved part) of a road or other thoroughfare; the roadway or road surface. Canada, US, uncountable, usually
"[H]e attempted to recover his importance, by haranguing upon the Roman highways, when Mr. Jolter desired the company to take notice of the fine pavement upon which they travelled from Paris into Flanders […]."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 material used to pave an area wordnet
- 7 The paved part of an area other than a road or sidewalk, such as a cobblestone plaza, asphalt schoolyard or playground, or parking lot. Canada, US, uncountable, usually
- 8 Interior flooring, especially when of stone, of large buildings. uncountable, usually
"...that took them to a brief rise of marble stairs that should've put them on the third-and-a-halfth floor if it'd been anywhere but Hogwarts, and then it was back to tiled stone pavement again, and..."
- 9 Interior flooring, especially when of stone, of large buildings.; The interior flooring of a church sanctuary, between the communion rail and the altar. uncountable, usually
Antonyms
Example
"Jeff had to pound the pavement for three months before he found a job."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pavement"?
Common synonyms include: paving material, adobe, ashlar, asphalt, banquette, base.
How do you use "pavement" in a sentence?
Jeff had to pound the pavement for three months before he found a job.
How do you pronounce "pavement"?
Pronounced /ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt/.
Etymology
From Middle English pament, from Anglo-Norman pavement and reinforced by Middle French pavement; both from Latin pavīmentum (“paved surface or floor”), from pavīre (“to beat, to ram, to tread down”). Morphologically pave + -ment.