street name

American  

[street naym] / ˈstrit ˌneɪm /

noun

1. a familiar or slang name of a narcotic drug.

   A street name for phencyclidine is “angel dust.”

2. Stock Exchange. an arrangement in which a broker holds securities in their own name instead of in the name of the customer, especially for convenience in executing transfers and in pledging for borrowing in margin accounts.

   Stocks held in street name are insured up to $500,000 by the federal government against fraud or financial failure of the brokerage company.

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Etymology

Origin of street name

First recorded in 1830–40 for the stock exchange sense, and in 1965–70 for the narcotic drug sense

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

street name

Escalante and the organization have been calling for the street name to be switched back to Brooklyn Avenue for years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026

Kirk’s name will appear in 3-inch font below the official street name.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025

The dispatcher coaxed her to provide the street name where she last saw them.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 13, 2023

Regardless, you’ll want to own “a good map of the city,” Kathleen Fueger said, since “it’s terribly confusing that the same street name appears in many neighborhoods but isn’t continuous.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2023

Really, that “He Who Must Not Be Named” stuff is like giving him a street name.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

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