street smarts

plural noun

Informal.

1. shrewd awareness of how to survive or succeed in any situation, especially as a result of living or working in a difficult environment, as a city ghetto neighborhood.

Word History and Origins

Origin of street smarts¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

It made me realize that I had book knowledge in a situation that demanded street smarts.

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The camp, Mistro said, has taught them an essential skill: “Just like street smarts, we want them to have ocean smarts.”

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“He has street smarts and is very populist.”

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It appears that, like many who end up in the big city, some fence lizards develop street smarts.

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School was a struggle, and this was a chance to show that his street smarts more than made up for it.

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