pave

pave — verb

1. to put stone, brick, concrete, or a similar hard layer over open ground so peopl

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to put stone, brick, concrete, or a similar hard layer over open ground so people or vehicles can travel across it

Example

Workers paved the school yard with gray stones before winter.

pattern: pave [place] with [material]

The town paved a new path from the station to the park.

object: road, path, yard, or area

Common collocations
  • pave a road
  • pave a path
  • pave the yard
  • pave with stone
  • pave with brick
Synonyms
  • surface

    broader and more technical; it can mean adding any top layer, not only paving ground

  • asphalt

    more specific, usually for covering a road with asphalt

  • flag

    chiefly British and specifically about laying flat stones

Antonyms
  • unpave

    a literal reverse action, but much less common

  • dig up

    used when an existing paved surface is broken and removed

Grammar Patterns

pave something with stone, brick, or concrete

pave a road, path, yard, or area

be paved with stone or brick

Usage Note

Object is usually a road, path, yard, or other outdoor surface. A with-phrase often names the material, and the passive is common when the finished surface matters more than the workers.

Common Mistakes

The city paved on the road with brick.
The city paved the road with brick.
pave takes the surface directly as its object; do not add 'on'.
Idioms

pave the way (for somebody/something)

idiom

To make it possible for someone to do something or for something to happen.

Her research paved the way for new cancer treatments.

Did the new law pave the way for better public transport?

the road to hell is paved with good intentions

idiom

Good intentions alone are not enough; you must take action to achieve good results.

He planned to volunteer but never did—the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Remember, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, so start today.

the streets are paved with gold

idiom

Used to describe a place where it is very easy to become rich.

Many immigrants believed that the streets of America were paved with gold.

Don't think the streets are paved with gold in every big city.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For this sense, pave is the general verb for giving outdoor ground a hard layer so people or vehicles can use it more easily. Surface is broader and often sounds more technical, especially in construction reports. Asphalt is narrower: it usually means covering a road with asphalt, not with brick or stone. Flag is mainly British and refers to laying large flat stones, often on paths or patios. Tile usually fits floors, kitchens, and bathrooms better than roads or streets. You can pave a village road with stone, asphalt a highway, flag a garden path, and tile a bathroom wall.

surface ↗asphaltflag ↗tile ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • pave a road
  • pave a path
  • be paved with stone
  • pave with brick

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Pave came into English through Old French from Latin pavire, a verb meaning to beat or press the ground flat. That older idea of making a surface firm and level later developed into the modern sense of covering ground with stone, brick, concrete, or similar material.