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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

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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Etymology

Origin of main street

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

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

“This could be Madrid, or Paris,” quipped Cesar Peña, happy to be giving roadside haircuts on the main street of what had been a crime-ridden sector of the capital.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

The mural would be Bolding’s first public piece of art on a main street.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Split between Virginia and Tennessee, the state line runs literally down main street.

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025

The trees’ crisscrossing branches stretch almost across the whole road, quieting the hum from the main street behind us.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith