What does pavement mean?
Pavement is the common name for a hard, usually paved surface. In British English, its most familiar meaning is the pedestrian path at the side of a road—the equivalent of the American “sidewalk”—although the word can also refer more generally to paving. In American English, pavement often denotes any paved surface, especially a roadway, rather than specifically the pedestrian edge. Across both varieties, it can describe a constructed floor, forecourt, or other paved area and is often contrasted with soil, gravel, or grass. The word carries a practical, civic tone, suggesting infrastructure, public space, and the surfaces people cross every day. Its long history also reflects the development of roads and urban paving. Knowing the regional difference is useful because “on the pavement” may mean “on the sidewalk” to a British speaker but simply “on the paved ground” to an American speaker.
nounA hard paved surface, especially one used for walking or as part of a road. In British English, pavement usually means the sidewalk; in American English, it more often means a paved surface generally.
- A paved surface for pedestrians, especially one running alongside a road; in British English, the sidewalk.
- Any hard paved covering or surface, such as a roadway, forecourt, or paved area.
"She stepped onto the pavement and waited for the traffic to pass."
"Rain pooled on the pavement outside the station."
"The city replaced the cracked pavement with smooth concrete."
The plural is used when referring to several distinct paved surfaces, stretches of pavement, or pedestrian ways.
"Several pavements across the city were resurfaced."
In British English, pavement means the sidewalk; in American English, it more often means the paved surface beneath your feet—or the road itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pavement come from?
Pavement entered English from French pavement, a noun meaning a paved surface, which was derived from paver, “to pave.” The French verb traces to Latin pavire, “to tread flat, beat, or stamp,” the origin of modern pave and paving. Over time, especially in British usage, pavement came to denote a paved pedestrian way beside a road.
How pavement is actually used
The noun is generally countable when it refers to distinct paved surfaces or pedestrian ways. The singular is typical when referring to the pavement of a particular place.
Easily confused with pavement
Sidewalk is the usual American term for a pedestrian path beside a road, whereas pavement has a broader meaning in American English but refers to the sidewalk in much of British English.