Tarmac

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations'Tarmac', 'tarmac': /ˈtɑːmæk/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(tär′mak)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
Tar•mac  (tär′mak),USA pronunciation 
  1. Civil Engineering, Trademarks[Trademark.]a brand of bituminous binder, similar to tarmacadam, for surfacing roads, airport runways, parking areas, etc.

n. 
  1. Civil Engineering(l.c.) a road, airport runway, parking area, etc., paved with Tarmac, tarmacadam, or a layer of tar.
  2. Civil Engineering(l.c.) a layer or covering of Tarmac, tarmacadam, or tar.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
tarmac /ˈtɑːmæk/ n
  1. a paving material that consists of crushed stone rolled and bound with a mixture of tar and bitumen, esp as formerly used for a road, airport runway, etcFull name: tarmacadam /ˌtɑːməˈkædəm/
    See also macadam
 vb ( -macs, -macking, -macked)
  1. (transitive) (usually not capital) to apply tarmac to
Etymology: 20th Century: an abbreviation of tarmacadam, from tar1 + macadam
'Tarmac' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
supermoto

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