Idiom – Pound the pavement
What Does “Pound the Pavement” Mean?
Meaning — to walk through the streets looking for a job. This idiom describes the action of travelling the streets on foot looking for employment. It can also be used to describe somebody campaigning for something, or actively seeking something.
In this expression, the verb pound means to walk repeatedly, heavily, or with determination — think of your feet “pounding” the ground with every step.
Other words for pavement (British English) include footpath and sidewalk (American English).
To get fired means to be dismissed from your job — you’ll often hear this idiom used right alongside it, as in the example below.
Example
“Sarah was fired in January. She’s been pounding the pavement for weeks. I hope she finds a job soon!”
“After graduating, I spent the whole summer pounding the pavement before I finally landed an interview.”
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
It means to walk through the streets looking for a job — travelling on foot from place to place seeking employment. It can also describe someone campaigning for something or actively seeking anything.
They mean the same thing — the paved path for pedestrians beside a road. “Pavement” is British English, while “sidewalk” is American English. “Footpath” is another British alternative.
Mostly, yes — it’s most commonly used about searching for a job. But it can also describe someone out campaigning door-to-door, or working hard on foot to achieve any goal.
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