tarmac

[US]/'tɑ:mæk/
[UK]/ˈtɑrˌmæk/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

n. a mixture of crushed stones and asphalt used for surfacing roads
vt. to cover with a surface of crushed stones and asphalt.

Phrases & Collocations

airport tarmac

Example Sentences

they debussed in a tarmac-laid square.

The plane had to wait half an hour on the tarmac because of fog.

The passenger were shepherd across the tarmac to the airliner.

The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.

The hush amplified the sounds of the cortège as it set out from Kensington Palace: the rumble of wheels on tarmac, the clopping of horses' hooves, and a bell that tolled at listless intervals.

The airplane taxied on the tarmac before taking off.

The workers are repairing the tarmac on the road.

The tarmac was scorching hot under the midday sun.

Planes line up on the tarmac waiting for clearance to depart.

The airport authority decided to expand the tarmac to accommodate more aircraft.

The tarmac needs to be repaved due to cracks and potholes.

A truck was unloading cargo onto the tarmac.

The tarmac was wet from the recent rain.

The aircraft skidded on the icy tarmac during landing.

The tarmac at the military base is heavily guarded.

Real-world Examples

Pavement curbs were removed and tarmac replaced by granite bricks.

Source: The Economist (Summary)

They could hold it on the tarmac.

Source: Canadian drama "Saving Hope" Season 1

Sessions marched across the tarmac into the waiting motorcade.

Source: Time

Roads damaged by the earthquakes, a crumbling tarmac, broken sidewalks and gaping fissures in the road.

Source: CNN 10 Student English of the Month

The two men started hunting each other across the tarmac.

Source: A man named Ove decides to die.

And my chair is still sitting outside on the tarmac.

Source: PBS Interview Social Series

And there were a couple cars waiting for him on the tarmac.

Source: NPR News January 2020 Compilation

It's just like tarmac when it melts on a summer's day.

Source: BBC documentary "Mom's Home Cooking"

We've put in place rules that virtually eliminated excessive delays on the tarmac.

Source: Obama's weekly television address.

There are pedestrians by the thousands strolling down the tarmacs, cyclists, rollerbladers, and so on.

Source: BBC Listening Compilation October 2015

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