boulevard
Americannoun
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a broad avenue in a city, usually having areas at the sides or center for trees, grass, or flowers.
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Also called boulevard strip. Upper Midwest. a strip of lawn between a sidewalk and the curb.
noun
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a wide usually tree-lined road in a city, often used as a promenade
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( capital as part of a street name )
Sunset Boulevard
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a grass strip between the pavement and road
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the strip of ground between the edge of a private property and the road
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the centre strip of a road dividing traffic travelling in different directions
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Synonym Usage
See street.
Etymology
Origin of boulevard
First recorded in 1765–75; from French, Middle French (originally Picard, Walloon ): “rampart, avenue built on the site of a razed rampart,” from Middle Dutch bol(le)werc; see bulwark
Explanation
A boulevard is a type of street. You can get to school by taking the four-lane boulevard, but to avoid all the traffic, you might use the less-traveled side streets. A boulevard is a street or avenue, especially one that's very wide and lined with trees. Many boulevards have a median strip of grass and sometimes trees. Boulevard strip is the regional term for a patch of grass between a curb and a sidewalk, which in other places is called a tree lawn. The French word boulevard literally means "rampart," or "defensive embankment." Later it was adapted to mean "a promenade beside a rampart."
Vocabulary lists containing boulevard
List 10
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List 8
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 25–May 31, 2024
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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.
One was about three and a half miles away from the boulevard, and another was about eight miles away.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
The US president already has a boulevard leading to the airport named after him.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
Nancy Guthrie’s home boulevard just north of Tucson, Arizona, makes for a unique crime scene.
From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026
Prince William also met a delegation including the mayor of Riyadh at the boulevard, which is aiming to become the world's largest linear park upon completion.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026
He had memorized his instructions: Carrying a local newspaper, the Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant, in his right hand, he walked slowly to a small square at the end of a long boulevard.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
