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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

Police patrolled Doonbeg's main street this week as preparations intensified for what security sources have described as one of the most complex security operations ever mounted in Ireland.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Every day, she walks to the main street with her golden retriever, Riley, and enjoys Pilates, art and good food along the way.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

There is a bustle about the main street and sitting with a coffee by the banks of the River Fleet feels like a good place to leave your worries behind you.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

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

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

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

A 48-year-old man died in Main Street in Linlithgow.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

River Road becomes Main Street there, and in summer its shops and restaurants buzz with people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

“Maybe we could wait until after Main Street Fest. Since I’ve already worked so hard on it.”

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry