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.
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
The annual grand parade will take place along Delhi's iconic central boulevard, with military tanks rolling past and fighter jets roaring overhead as thousands watch.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026
In automatic mode, the car ambles down the boulevard, murmuring, simmering and keeping its immensity hidden from polite society.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
At the far end of the boulevard, looming like an escarpment in the Rockies, stood the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
