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
Mark is taller and brighter than Darren but infinitely more docile and far less street-smart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025
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
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.
