sidewalk

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableAmerican

   A paved path beside a road where people walk, kept apart from the lanes for vehicles.

   Grammar: American word; British English uses pavement.

   Patterns

   • on the sidewalk
   • along the sidewalk

   Please walk on the sidewalk, not in the road.

   The children drew pictures on the sidewalk with chalk.

   Snow covered the sidewalk outside our house.

2. 2nouncountableAmerican

   The street edge or area in front of shops, often used for outdoor displays or seating.

   Grammar: Used for business areas: a sidewalk cafe.

   Patterns

   • a sidewalk sale
   • a sidewalk cafe

   The restaurant put tables on the sidewalk.

   Shops held a sidewalk sale on Saturday.

   Musicians played on the sidewalk near the market.

Word forms

Common combinations

walk on the sidewalk

She likes to walk on the sidewalk.

sidewalk cafe

They ate at a sidewalk cafe.

cracked sidewalk

A cracked sidewalk tripped him.

shovel the sidewalk

He shoveled the sidewalk after the snow.

sidewalk chalk

The kids used sidewalk chalk.

sidewalk vendor

A sidewalk vendor sold hot pretzels.

Synonyms and how they differ

pavement

Pavement is the usual British word for a sidewalk, but in American English it means the road surface.

footpath

Footpath is a path for walkers that may be away from any road, whereas a sidewalk runs beside a road.

walkway

Walkway is any path for people to walk on, not necessarily beside a street.

curb

Curb is the edge of the sidewalk, not the walking surface itself.

Opposites

Word family

walk verb

to move on foot

side noun

the edge or part next to something

crosswalk noun

a marked place for crossing a street

boardwalk noun

a wooden walkway, often at the beach

Commonly confused: sidewalk or pavement?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sidewalk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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