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

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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

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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

Hanging above the boulevard were banners with official slogans including "We must rise".

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 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

The new rich zip past crumbling neoclassical townhouses on Havana's famous seaside Malecon boulevard in SUVs.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

Earl was backing his van into a narrow parking spot, and brothers and sisters, already late for work, rushed toward the subway station on the boulevard.

From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers

Near Vermont and Wilshire boulevards, the closest open dumpster the group found was about a mile away, she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

In Paris, authorities have banned a yellow vest march that would have passed through Place de la République and some of the capital’s main shopping boulevards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

Since becoming mayor in January, Mamdani has widened bike lanes, announced plans for new bike boulevards and prioritized improving pedestrian walkways.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

The effort is beginning to bear fruit: the clusters of tents and shopping carts that once clogged the boulevards of Hollywood and Venice Beach are less numerous.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

“Have you ever watched the jet cars racing on the boulevards down that way? “You're changing the subject!”

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

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Related Words

• artery
• avenue
• highway
• thoroughfare

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