street smarts
Americanplural noun
Etymology
Origin of street smarts
First recorded in 1970–75
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.
It’s essentially the difference between book smarts and street smarts.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 28, 2026
Common sense, street smarts, the ability to communicate with people and have people respect you and like you and want to work with you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
The camp, Mistro said, has taught them an essential skill: “Just like street smarts, we want them to have ocean smarts.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2025
Mr Erdogan entered the contest with many advantages: his street smarts, his common touch, and his control of 90% of the media here.
From BBC ● May 28, 2023
In fight-or-flight situations it’s street smarts that will get you out alive.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
