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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

Etymology

Origin of main street

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

main street Main Street

Locals are building out a new main street instead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

"International politics is very difficult," Comerford told AFP outside his pub on Doonbeg's main street.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Carmel has become a jewel box of a town, with a main street, Ocean Avenue, that runs right down to the beach and sea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

At 22:09, Lavryovych sent a voice message on Telegram: "We'll meet on the main street basically."

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026

Passing neighborhoods on a major main street does allow me to peer in from a safe distance, and I’m noticing that a few areas still have electricity, which is somewhat comforting to see.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

The lease also requires the new operator to continue supporting the Sunday Main Street Farmers Market, which uses the property’s parking lot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 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

Marco Estrada, 20, taking a break outside the Main Street barbershop where he works in Delano, said he wasn’t sure he could imagine anything Congress could do for him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Here’s why the turmoil in bonds could ripple beyond Wall Street and onto Main Street.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The man ran across the street, jumped into a burgundy sedan, and peeled out down Main Street.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry