mainstream

American  

[meyn-streem] / ˈmeɪnˌstrim /

noun

mainstreams plural

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.

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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 British  

/ ˈmeɪnˌstriːm /

noun

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

      in the mainstream of modern literature

   2. ( as modifier )

      mainstream politics

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adjective

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

mainstream Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mainstreams
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mainstream

First recorded in 1660–70; main ¹ + stream

Explanation

Mainstream describes what's viewed by most people in a society as "normal," like the mainstream view that everyone should get married, move to the suburbs, and have children as soon as they can. Something that's mainstream is conventional, or the usual way of doing things. If you're talking about the mainstream in fashion, you mean the ordinary clothes that most people wear and which is found in all the malls — nothing too weird or outlandish. In the 1600s, mainstream described the prevailing current of a river, with the first recorded use of its meaning of prevailing taste or opinion in 1831.

Example Sentences

Mainstream consumers should ask hard questions, not just about medical benefits.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Mainstream contemporary historians view the Constitution as a compromise between free and slaveholding states.

From Salon • May 14, 2026

Rayner was addressing the relatively new Mainstream group within the Labour Party, often associated with the Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Mainstream health experts and former CDC officials denounced the change.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

Mainstream and respectful of authority on the surface, Bowen possessed the same streak of anti-establishment views harboured by many in the underground.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette