A sidewalk is a paved path alongside a street, built specifically for people to walk on safely. The sidewalk keeps pedestrians separated from cars, trucks, and bicycles traveling in the road.

Most sidewalks are made of concrete, though some older ones use brick or stone. They typically sit a few inches higher than the street, with a curb marking the boundary between where people walk and where vehicles drive. In cities, sidewalks connect buildings, help people get to bus stops, and lead to crosswalks where it's safe to cross the street.

In British English, people call this a pavement, which can be confusing since Americans use “pavement” to mean any paved surface, including roads.

Sidewalks became common in cities during the 1800s as streets got more crowded with horses, carriages, and eventually cars. Before sidewalks existed, pedestrians had to share muddy or dusty streets with all the traffic, making walking through town messy and dangerous. Today, sidewalks are so ordinary we barely notice them, but they represent an important idea: cities should be designed so people can move around safely on foot, not just in vehicles.