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

For his part, the premier has pledged to work with all mainstream political movements and vowed to select cabinet members who are "not imprisoned by parties".

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In order to create a longer-lasting government, Lecornu pledged Saturday to work with all the mainstream political movements and that he would select cabinet members who are not "imprisoned by the parties."

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Despite going mainstream, many of the most popular active ETFs are still funds that follow somewhat niche strategies.

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Worries about an AI bubble have gone mainstream.

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“AMD before Lisa was trying to chase the bulk of the market, the mainstream parts rather than high-performance parts,” Norrod said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal