Tarmac
a brand of bituminous binder, similar to tarmacadam, for surfacing roads, airport runways, parking areas, etc.
Tarmac
American
[tahr-mak]
/ ˈtɑr mæk /
Trademark.
noun
-
(lowercase) a road, airport runway, parking area, etc., paved with Tarmac, tarmacadam, or a layer of tar.
-
(lowercase) a layer or covering of Tarmac, tarmacadam, or tar.
tarmac
British
/ ˈtɑːmæk /
noun
-
Full name: tarmacadam. 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, etc See also macadam
-
a runway at an airport
on the tarmac at Nairobi airport
verb
Explanation
If your airplane is on the tarmac, that means you're either just about to take off or you've just landed. Either way, the tarmac is the paved runway at the airport. The term tarmac refers to the area of an airport where airplanes taxi, or pull up to a gate, or head out to the runway. The runway itself is also called the tarmac. The name comes from a specific tar-based paving material that's also commonly used on roads. Originally, the word was trademarked as shorthand for tarmacadam, "tar mixed with crushed rock."
Vocabulary lists containing tarmac
A Long Way Home
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Man Called Ove
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
My Name Is Not Easy
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He greeted him on the Tarmac when Trump came to visit L.A.
From Slate ● May 30, 2025
Building firms Tarmac and Lightwater Holdings, which gifted the land, said they would work with the heritage organisations to help preserve the site and improve public access to it.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2023
You go on a fresh Tarmac road in a lot of countries in West Africa indeed, and they say, “Yeah, China came in and has paved the highway system”.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 23, 2017
“Nothing excites compassion, in friend and foe alike,” he wrote, “as much as the sight of you ker-splonked on the Tarmac with your propeller buried six feet under.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 30, 2016
Tarmac The line of departure on the field.
From Aces Up by Clarke, Covington
The drone was spotted on the tarmac at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany on Tuesday night in a secure area near a Ukrainian cargo jet, prompting the airport to shut down for the night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Several fire trucks and a police car were on the tarmac when the plane landed, Edward said.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
“The second I step onto the tarmac at Burbank, I start acting like I’m boarding a private jet,” wrote one Threads user.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
This was an era during which “you could just walk onto the tarmac without a ticket,” said Brendan Koerner, author of The Skies Belong to Us.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
And so I found myself, six days later, standing at our local airport watching a tin commuter plane containing Katz touch down and taxi to a halt on the tarmac twenty yards from the terminal.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
