main street
noun
the principal thoroughfare, especially through the business district, in a small town.
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main street
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Main Street
Main Streetnouna novel (1920) by Sinclair Lewis.
main street
1 Americannoun
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main streets
plural
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the principal thoroughfare, especially through the business district, in a small town.
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(initial capital letters) the outlook, environment, or life of a small town.
Main Street
2
American
noun
Main Street
British
noun
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the most prominent street of a town, usually where the principal shops and businesses are situated
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ordinary people in general
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of main street
First recorded in 1735–45
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.
See Examples For:
The main street of Queenborough is clogged with parked cars.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
At their home, a large one-story villa off a dirt road leading to the town’s main street, Scott introduces me to a lifestyle designed to promote wellness.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
The mural would be Bolding’s first public piece of art on a main street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
“We buy gold” signs line the town’s main street.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
It was pretty, but Dicey was not cheered by that as they walked out of town on the one main street.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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
A 48-year-old man died in Main Street in Linlithgow.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
The couple purchased the restaurant on Main Street in December 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
When they’re let loose, they enter Canyon View Ranch with the abandon of children running down Main Street, U.S.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Downtown consisted of two intersecting streets, Main Street and High Street, separated by a single flashing stoplight and no traffic.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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.
