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

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

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Some protesters carried giant pink flamingos through the crowd that marched to the government headquarters on Tirana's main boulevard.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 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

As I turned the comer, I noticed two large white boys sprawled on the front steps of a house across the wide boulevard.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

State media reported that millions of mourners filled the main boulevards connecting the squares and crowding around the black lorry that carried the coffin of the late supreme leader and four family members.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 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

Day 1 alone might terrify an L.A. commuter: From the Pacific to Pasadena by surface streets, including miles on Santa Monica and Colorado boulevards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 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

I see people chatting in cafes, sipping wine, strolling on boulevards and avenues.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Related Words

• artery
• avenue
• highway
• thoroughfare