From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpavepave /peɪv/ verb [transitive] 1 TTRTBCto cover a path, road, area etc with a hard level surface such as blocks of stone or concretebe paved with something The city centre streets are paved with dark local stone. a paved courtyardGrammar Pave is usually passive in this meaning.2 → pave the way for something3 → the streets are paved with gold→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
pave• Not only were the streets impeccably paved, clean and lined with inviting shops, they were flanked by bike lanes.• The road through the valley was only paved last year.• Two thousand sick and injured soldiers were laid like paving stones in four miles of corridors.• If both you and the other person can find something to laugh about together it paves the way for a harmonious transaction.• They merely pave the way for an increasing proportion of those emissions to come from the burning of imported coal.• The Ports Act 1991 has paved the way for this privatisation of the Trust Ports by competitive tender.Origin pave (1300-1400) Old French paver, from Latin pavire “to hit, press down with the foot” 