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

Andresen, riding for Decathlon CMA CGM, surged to the front in the main street of Tanunda, near Adelaide.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

We crossed it and the tracks, people coming to the doors to look at us and more boys materialising from somewhere until when we turned into the main street we had quite a procession.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner