street-smart
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of street-smart
First recorded in 1965–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New Zealand's "street-smart" cricketers can find a way to beat England and guarantee their semi-final place at the T20 World Cup, coach Rob Walters said on Thursday.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
Brook, like Stokes and McCullum, is street-smart - hardened by playing in Yorkshire's tough men's leagues by the age of 13 - and rough around the edges.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2025
And it’s a brief respite from work — she plays street-smart second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti on ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and is currently on tour performing her comedy show.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2024
He often played a mob boss, a street-smart detective or a bedraggled working man.
From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2023
Even the street-smart and experienced Lamphere was not prepared for Gardner's personality or his unusual brilliance.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.