Madison Avenue

American  

noun

1. a street in New York City that is a center of the advertising and public relations industries and that has become a symbol of their attitudes, methods, and practices.

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Madison Avenue British  

noun

1. a street in New York City: a centre of American advertising and public-relations firms and a symbol of their attitudes and methods

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Madison Avenue Cultural  

1. A street in Manhattan on which many advertising and public relations firms have offices.

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“Madison Avenue hype” carries the connotation of misrepresentation or deliberate dishonesty.

The name of the street is often used to refer to the high-pressure techniques of the advertising business.

Example Sentences

Business owners like Larry Cowit -- who inherited and runs his family's Madison Avenue Furs -- are celebrating a sales spike.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Madison Avenue Furs' Instagram features Cowit's niece posing on the shop's balcony in a variety of plush coats recalling "Sopranos"-esque fashion.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

The owner of the Barneys brand plans to open a small-format store in Florida next year—and is pondering the reopening of the Madison Avenue location.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

The majestic sandstone villa on Madison Avenue that the company shared with the Archdiocese of New York, and the quaint house in its logo, conveyed a sense of noncorporate charm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

The young Izzy had stood guard under the funeral home’s clock, which freely gave the time to Madison Avenue, alongside his fellow Lords with their berets and empty rifles.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez