tarmac
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++tar·mac1 /ˈtɑːmæk $ ˈtɑːr-/ noun trademark 1. (also tarmacadam British English /ˌtɑːməˈkædəm $ ˌtɑːr- $ ˌtɑːr-/) [uncountable]TTR a mixture of tar and very small stones, used for making the surface of roads 〔铺路用的〕柏油碎石 SYN asphalt2 the tarmac trademark TTAan area covered with tarmac outside airport buildings 铺有柏油碎石的飞机跑道[停机坪]on the tarmac Journalists waited on the tarmac to question him. 新闻记者们在停机坪上等候着向他提问。
Examples from the Corpus
tarmac• More tarmac and concrete has left fewer green fields for water to drain into underground reserves, as Sheila Brocklebank reports.• And an hour later in the House of Sport, the road race committee will hear the views of tarmac competitors.• I watched as my dear man made his way across the tarmac to the small Doha airport.• There was a flustered conference on the tarmac between two groups of officials.• A ground party was immediately organised to manhandle the aircraft on to sheets of corrugated iron positioned on the tarmac.• The men hopped to the tarmac and unraveled a rust-stained intestine of hose.tarmac2 verb (tarmacked, tarmacking) [transitive] TTRto cover a road’s surface with tarmac 在〔路面〕上铺柏油碎石→ See Verb tableOrigin tarmac (1900-2000) Tarmac, a trademark, from tarmacadam “tarmac” ((19-20 centuries)), from tar + macadam “smooth hard road surface” ((19-20 centuries)) (from John L. McAdam (1756-1836), Scottish engineer who invented the process)tar·mac1 nountarmac2 verbChineseSyllable
mixture Corpus very and a tar of
tarmac
tar‧mac1 /ˈtɑːmæk $ ˈtɑːr-/ 
noun trademark
SYN asphalt
2. the tarmac an area covered with tarmac outside airport buildings
on the tarmac
Journalists waited on the tarmac to question him.
tarmac2 verb (past tense and past participle tarmacked, present participle tarmacking) [transitive]
to cover a road’s surface with tarmac
| I |
noun trademark Date: 1900-2000
Origin: Tarmac, a trademark, from tarmacadam 'tarmac' (19-20 centuries), from tar + macadam 'smooth hard road surface' (19-20 centuries) (from John L. McAdam (1756-1836), Scottish engineer who invented the process)
1. (also tar‧ma‧cad‧am British English /ˌtɑːməˈkædəm $ ˌtɑːr- $ ˌtɑːr-/) [uncountable] a mixture of tar and very small stones, used for making the surface of roads Origin: Tarmac, a trademark, from tarmacadam 'tarmac' (19-20 centuries), from tar + macadam 'smooth hard road surface' (19-20 centuries) (from John L. McAdam (1756-1836), Scottish engineer who invented the process)
SYN asphalt
2. the tarmac an area covered with tarmac outside airport buildings
on the tarmac
| II |
verb (past tense and past participle tarmacked, present participle tarmacking) [transitive]to cover a road’s surface with tarmac