Basic+ Word of the Day: pave

pave (verb) past tense: paved

Paving the road

Pave means “to cover a road with concrete, stones, etc. to make it a firm, level surface.”

• The city workers paved the road after they replaced the sewers.
• Our street is much smoother since it was paved.

Common uses

pave the way: make possible. Example: “The researchers’ discovery will pave the way for new treatments for the disease.”

Related words

pavement: a paved surface. Example: “Graham fell on the pavement and hurt his knee.”

In pop culture

Here Peter Murphy sings, “Sails Wave Goodbye.” Listen for the lyric “And there light will pave the way that you go…”

There are other meanings of pave.