Pavement is the hard, smooth surface that covers roads, sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots. When you walk to school on the sidewalk or ride your bike down the street, you're traveling on pavement.

Pavement is usually made from either asphalt (a black, sticky mixture of gravel and tar) or concrete (a gray material made from cement, sand, and gravel). Cities pave their streets so vehicles can roll smoothly and people can walk without trudging through mud or dust. Before pavement became common in the early 1900s, most roads were just packed dirt that turned into muddy messes when it rained.

You might hear someone talk about “hitting the pavement” when they mean walking around a lot, like searching for a lost dog or going door-to-door selling something. In Britain, what Americans call the sidewalk is simply called “the pavement.”

Pavement gets hot in summer because dark asphalt absorbs sunlight. On a scorching day, you can sometimes see heat waves shimmering above it, and it might even feel hot enough to fry an egg (though that's mostly just an expression).