boulevard

American  

[bool-uh-vahrd, boo-luh-] / ˈbʊl əˌvɑrd, ˈbu lə- /

noun

• boulevards
  plural

1. a broad avenue in a city, usually having areas at the sides or center for trees, grass, or flowers.

2. Also called boulevard strip.  Upper Midwest. a strip of lawn between a sidewalk and the curb.

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boulevard British  

/ ˈbuːlvɑː, -vɑːd /

noun

1. 1. a wide usually tree-lined road in a city, often used as a promenade

   2. ( capital as part of a street name )

      Sunset Boulevard

2. 1. a grass strip between the pavement and road

   2. the strip of ground between the edge of a private property and the road

   3. the centre strip of a road dividing traffic travelling in different directions

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Synonym Usage

See street.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• boulevards
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boulevard boulevards

Developers are also watching for any progress on a new science research campus in Manhattan’s Kips Bay neighborhood and the revamped boulevard stretching along Fifth Avenue from Bryant Park to Central Park.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

In the afternoon, Iranian TV footage showed thousands of mourners dressed in black walking along a main boulevard in central Mashhad.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

He should have used the nearby crosswalk, but there aren’t enough of those on the boulevard, so pedestrians routinely skitter and scoot across the street like they’re in a game of Frogger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026

Then the couple walked down a famed boulevard named after the father of Cuban independence, José Martí, to the old building that houses Havana’s community center for Cubans of Arab descent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026

Beyond the main boulevard, the city was a hodgepodge of medieval castle towers, Roman walls, limestone town houses with red-tiled roofs, and modern office buildings all crammed together.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Tree-shaded boulevards are lined with flagship Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce showrooms, as well as designer boutiques and Michelin-starred restaurants.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

The pavements of Hanoi's wide boulevards and narrow lanes have long been clogged with bustling food stalls, weaving scooters, and crowds of coffee and beer drinkers sitting on low plastic stools.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

These long, winding, canal-like tunnels, big enough for boats, are nothing short of the subterranean answer to the city’s boulevards, with an unexpected, if somewhat infernal, majesty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

In central Abuja, wide boulevards, embassies and high-rise apartments signal heavy state investment.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

I make a traffic circle the eye and bring down boulevards to lead to the mouth, and Ebony giggles above me, taps her cane.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

Related Words

• artery
• avenue
• highway
• thoroughfare