mainstream

[meyn-streem]

noun

1. the principal or dominant course, tendency, or trend.

   the mainstream of American culture.

2. a river having tributaries.

3. regular school classes or regular schools.

   keeping autistic students in the mainstream.

adjective

1. belonging to or characteristic of a principal, dominant, or widely accepted group, movement, style, etc..

   mainstream Republicans;

   a mainstream artist;

   mainstream media.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of jazz falling historically between Dixieland and modern jazz; specifically, swing music.

verb (used with object)

1. to send into the mainstream; cause to join the main force, group, etc..

   to mainstream young people into the labor force.

2. to place (students with disabilities) in regular school classes.

verb (used without object)

1. to join or be placed in the mainstream.

mainstream

/ ˈmeɪnˌstriːm /

noun

1. 1. the main current (of a river, cultural trend, etc)

      in the mainstream of modern literature

   2. ( as modifier )

      mainstream politics

adjective

1. of or relating to the style of jazz that lies between the traditional and the modern

mainstream

1. The prevailing current or direction of a movement or influence: “The candidate's speech represented the mainstream thinking on economic policy.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of mainstream¹

First recorded in 1660–70; main ¹ + stream

Example Sentences

"So no prescription for the party works unless we accept that the situation is really bad and we are on the edge of ceasing to exist as a mainstream party."

From BBC

The CDC’s changes have been criticized by mainstream medical groups.

From Los Angeles Times

Signaling and cultivating wealthy donors by cooperating with lengthy profiles in mainstream media publications like the New York Times.

From Salon

The council agreed to Tunde's request that he go to an independently run school that works with children who struggle in mainstream schools.

From BBC

"Customers will choose the best technology stack for running the world's most popular commercial applications and open-source models. We'll continue to work to earn the trust and support of mainstream developers everywhere."

From BBC