avenue
Americannoun
-
a wide street or main thoroughfare.
-
a means of access or attainment.
avenues of escape; avenues to greater power.
-
a way or means of entering into or approaching a place.
the various avenues to India.
-
Chiefly British.
-
a wide, usually tree-lined road, path, driveway, etc., through grounds to a country house or monumental building.
-
a suburban, usually tree-lined residential street.
-
noun
-
-
a broad street, often lined with trees
-
(capital as part of a street name) a road, esp in a built-up area
Shaftesbury Avenue
-
-
a main approach road, as to a country house
-
a way bordered by two rows of trees
an avenue of oaks
-
a line of approach
explore every avenue
Synonym Usage
See street.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of avenue
First recorded in 1590–1600; from French, literally, “approach,” noun use of feminine past participle of avenir, from Latin advenīre “to come to.” See a- 5, venue
Explanation
An avenue is a street, especially a wide one lined with trees. An avenue is also any approach to doing something. For example, this web site might be a new avenue you have found for learning words. The word avenue comes from the French avenir, meaning "to come to, or arrive." The first meaning is simply a wide street. An avenue — or boulevard — is likely to be busy, unlike a quiet side street. The abbreviation is ave., as in Park Ave. Also, an avenue is a way to accomplish something. If you need money but can't get a loan, you'll have to find another avenue.
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.
Meta Platforms is reportedly exploring a new avenue of artificial-intelligence monetization, raising questions about whether Meta is throwing in the towel on being a leading AI lab or, rather, catapulting its business ahead.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
“At minimum, Cook was entitled to some explanation of the evidence at issue, some avenue for a response, and a deadline by which a response would be due,” the opinion noted.
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
"I want parents to see that tennis is such an incredible avenue to develop your child's character if you do it in a supportive way," she says.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
“We’re out on the avenue again,” he said, his voice shaking as he spoke by phone.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
There were apartments on one side of the avenue and Morningside Park on the other.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
