Madison Avenue

American  

noun

1. a street in New York City that is a center of the advertising and public relations industries and that has become a symbol of their attitudes, methods, and practices.

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Madison Avenue British  

noun

1. a street in New York City: a centre of American advertising and public-relations firms and a symbol of their attitudes and methods

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Madison Avenue Cultural  

1. A street in Manhattan on which many advertising and public relations firms have offices.

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“Madison Avenue hype” carries the connotation of misrepresentation or deliberate dishonesty.

The name of the street is often used to refer to the high-pressure techniques of the advertising business.

Example Sentences

There, she wrote about marketing and Madison Avenue, including a series of stories about allegations of kickbacks in the media-buying business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

The results show improvement on the execution, at least, as Madison Avenue continues to fret about its creative future.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

The account is a plum assignment on Madison Avenue, given the size of its budget—the consumer product maker spent $1.6 billion on advertising in 2024, according to its annual report.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

Cassandra Grey at her upscale beauty store Violet Grey on Madison Avenue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

I walked over to Madison Avenue and started to wait around for a bus because I didn't have hardly any money left and I had to start economizing on cabs and all.

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger