noun
Meaning 1
Tarmacadam.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
tarmac
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈtɑː(ɹ)mæk/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: T AA1 R M AE2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Any bituminous road surfacing material.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Canada, Ireland, UK, broadly, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: asphalt
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
The driveable surface of a road.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Canada, Ireland, UK, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
The area of an airport, other than the runway, where planes park or maneuver.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, informal, uncountable
Topics: aeronautics, aerospace, aviation, business, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To pave with tarmacadam or a similar material.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Canada, UK
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To spend time idling on a runway, usually waiting for takeoff clearance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: aeronautics, aerospace, aviation, business, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
a paved surface having compressed layers of broken rocks held together with tar
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tarmacadam, macadam
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: paved surface
noun
Meaning 8
a paving material of tar and broken stone; mixed in a factory and shaped during paving
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tarmacadam
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: paving, pavement, paving material
verb
Meaning 9
surface with macadam
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- macadam the road
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: macadamize, macadamise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: coat, surface
History
Etymology
Clipping of tarmacadam, which is from tar + macadam (“crushed stones”). Originally a trademark owned by its inventor, Edgar Hooley.
Across languages
Translations
47 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: макадам (makadam) — bituminous road surface
- Catalan: asfalt — bituminous road surface
- Chinese Mandarin: 柏油路 (bóyóulù) — bituminous road surface
- Chinese Mandarin: 瀝青路 /沥青路 (lìqīnglù) — bituminous road surface
- Danish: asfalt — bituminous road surface
- Dutch: bitumen — bituminous road surface
- Dutch: asfalt — bituminous road surface
- Finnish: öljysora — bituminous road surface
- Finnish: asfaltti — bituminous road surface
- Finnish: bitumisora — bituminous road surface
- French: tarmac — bituminous road surface
- German: Asphalt — bituminous road surface
- German: Teermakadam — bituminous road surface
- Hungarian: aszfaltburkolat — bituminous road surface
- Hungarian: aszfaltpálya — bituminous road surface
- Hungarian: aszfaltút — bituminous road surface
- Icelandic: malbik — bituminous road surface
- Icelandic: asfalt — bituminous road surface
- Irish: tarmac — bituminous road surface
- Irish: tarramhacadam — bituminous road surface
- Italian: asfalto — bituminous road surface
- Japanese: ターマック (tāmakku) — bituminous road surface
- Japanese: アスファルト舗装路 (asufaruto hosōro) — bituminous road surface
- Korean: 타맥 (tamaek) — bituminous road surface
- Māori: papatau — bituminous road surface
- Portuguese: asfalto — bituminous road surface
- Portuguese: macadame — bituminous road surface
- Russian: гудрони́рованное шоссе́ (gudronírovannoje šossé) — bituminous road surface
- Russian: асфа́льт (asfálʹt) — bituminous road surface
- Spanish: asfalto — bituminous road surface
- Swahili: lami — bituminous road surface
- Swedish: asfalt — bituminous road surface
- Turkish: asfalt — bituminous road surface
- Welsh: tarmac — bituminous road surface
- Welsh: tarmacadam — bituminous road surface
- Bulgarian: писта (pista) — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- Chinese Cantonese: 停機坪 /停机坪 (ting4 gei1 ping4) — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- Chinese Mandarin: 停机坪 (tíng jī píng) — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- Danish: forplads — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- Finnish: asemataso — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- Finnish: platta — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- Finnish: rullaustie (taxiway) — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- French: tarmac — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- German: Rollfeld — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- Irish: tarmac — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- Polish: betonka — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver
- Welsh: tarmac — area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver