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• main street
  main street

  noun

  the principal thoroughfare, especially through the business district, in a small town.
• Main Street
  Main Street

  noun

  a novel (1920) by Sinclair Lewis.

main street

¹ American  

noun

• main streets
  plural

1. the principal thoroughfare, especially through the business district, in a small town.

2. (initial capital letters) the outlook, environment, or life of a small town.

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Main Street ² American  

noun

1. a novel (1920) by Sinclair Lewis.

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Main Street British  

noun

1. the most prominent street of a town, usually where the principal shops and businesses are situated

2. ordinary people in general

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• main streets
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of main street

First recorded in 1735–45

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

main street Main Street

Police patrolled Doonbeg's main street this week as preparations intensified for what security sources have described as one of the most complex security operations ever mounted in Ireland.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Every day, she walks to the main street with her golden retriever, Riley, and enjoys Pilates, art and good food along the way.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

“I always said I would never come back to Northeast Ohio. I was over the cold and the winter,” she said one evening while hosting a women’s-club happy hour on Hudson’s main street.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

The main street of Queenborough is clogged with parked cars.

From BBC ● May 4, 2026

It was small; once she had come onto the main street she could see the corner at the end with the gas station and the church.

From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson

On markets: There’s a growing disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street, with the state of the economy having less impact on stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

I told Tony I would live in Santa Monica only if we could be near Main Street.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

One or two rate increases will hardly affect Main Street, or Wall Street for that matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

According to our analysis, of $31 trillion in total private business equity in the U.S., nearly half is in tactile, Main Street industries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

The Friday before Main Street Fest was loaded thick with worry.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

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