asphalt

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈæsfælt/ 🇺🇸 /ˈæˌsfɔlt/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A dark, viscous, sticky substance derived from petroleum or found in natural deposits, used primarily for surfacing roads, roofing, and waterproofing.; A mixture of bitumen and aggregate materials used as a paving material for roads, parking lots, and other surfaces.; A naturally occurring solid or semi-solid form of bitumen, also known as bitumen or pitch, found in natural deposits such as the La Brea Tar Pits.; A dark brown to black pigment derived from asphalt, historically used in painting and photography.
  2. verb
    To cover or pave a surface with asphalt.
  3. adjective
    Relating to or made of asphalt; resembling asphalt in color or consistency.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable 3rd sing.: asphalts Past: asphalted Past part.: asphalted Pres part.: asphalting

Collocations

asphalt roadasphalt pavementhot asphaltasphalt surfacelaid asphaltasphalt plant

Derivatives

asphaltedasphaltingasphalticasphaltene

Synonyms

bitumentarmacadamtarmacblacktop

Commonly confused

tar
EN: Tar is a distinct substance derived from coal or wood, though colloquially used interchangeably with asphalt.
bitumen
EN: Bitumen is the binding agent component, while asphalt is the finished mixture of bitumen and mineral aggregate.
tarmac
EN: Tarmac is a specific type of road surface using tar and macadam, often used loosely as a synonym for asphalt.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember it is spelled 'asphalt' with 'ph' and ending in '-alt'; common misspellings include 'asphault' and 'asphelt'.

💬 Examples

  1. The road was paved with a thick layer of asphalt.

  2. The contractor laid new asphalt on the driveway.

  3. Ancient civilizations used natural asphalt for waterproofing their boats.

  4. Some 19th-century painters used asphalt as a glazing medium, though it proved unstable over time.

  5. The city plans to asphalt the remaining unpaved streets next spring.

  6. The asphalt jungle of the city stretched endlessly before him.