street

American  

[street] / strit /

noun

• streets
  plural

1. a public thoroughfare, usually paved, in a village, town, or city, including the sidewalk or sidewalks.

   Synonyms:

   concourse, roadway

2. such a thoroughfare together with adjacent buildings, lots, etc..

   Houses, lawns, and trees composed a very pleasant street.

3. the roadway of such a thoroughfare, as distinguished from the sidewalk.

   to cross a street.

4. a main way or thoroughfare, as distinguished from a lane, alley, or the like.

5. the inhabitants or frequenters of a street.

   The whole street gossiped about the new neighbors.

6. Informal. the Street,

   1. the section of a city associated with a given profession or trade, especially when concerned with business or finance, as Wall Street.

   2. the principal theater and entertainment district of any of a number of U.S. cities.

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adjective

1. of, on, or adjoining a street.

   a street door just off the sidewalk.

2. taking place or appearing on the street.

   street fight; street musicians.

3. coarse; crude; vulgar.

   street language.

4. suitable for everyday wear.

   street clothes; street dress.

5. retail.

   the street price of a new computer; the street value of a drug.

idioms

1. on / in the street,

   1. without a home.

      You'll be out on the street if the rent isn't paid.

   2. without a job or occupation; idle.

   3. out of prison or police custody; at liberty.

2. up one's street, alley.

street British  

/ striːt /

noun

1. 1. (capital when part of a name) a public road that is usually lined with buildings, esp in a town

      Oxford Street

   2. ( as modifier )

      a street directory

2. the buildings lining a street

3. the part of the road between the pavements, used by vehicles

4. the people living, working, etc, in a particular street

5. (modifier) of or relating to the urban counterculture

   street style

   street drug

6. an ordinary or average citizen

7. 1. earning a living as a prostitute

   2. homeless

8. informal superior to, more advanced than, etc

9. informal markedly different

10. informal (just) what one knows or likes best

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verb

1. to outdistance

street More Idioms  

1. see back street; easy street; man in the street; on the street; side street; work both sides of the street.

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Synonym Usage

Street, alley, avenue, boulevard all refer to public ways or roads in municipal areas. A street is a road in a village, town, or city, especially a road lined with buildings. An alley is a narrow street or footway, especially at the rear of or between rows of buildings or lots. An avenue is properly a prominent street, often one bordered by fine residences and impressive buildings, or with a row of trees on each side. A boulevard is a beautiful, broad street, lined with rows of stately trees, especially used as a promenade. In some cities street and avenue are used interchangeably, the only difference being that those running one direction (say, north and south) are given one designation and those crossing them are given the other.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interstreet
  adjective
• streetless
  adjective
• streetlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• streets
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of street

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English strēt, strǣt; cognate with Dutch straat, German Strasse; all ultimately from Latin (via) strāta “paved (road)”; see stratum

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Explanation

A street is a paved road with houses or buildings along the side. Cars, buses, bikes, and motorcycles travel in the street, while pedestrians use the sidewalk. The street is what you drive a car on, but the word can also refer more generally to the neighborhood around the street, as in street theater or street fashion. And it can also mean a slightly dangerous, crime-filled environment: "It's rough out there on the street." In Old English, the word was stret, from the Late Latin phrase via strata or "paved road."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

street streets

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said about 2,000 residents had been displaced by the operation, which has led to at least one whole street appearing to have been flattened, according to footage shared online.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

"There were around 150 of us, mostly secondary school and university students. Then the tear gas came almost immediately. You could barely see anything in the street," said one protester in France's third-largest city.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

In early August, election workers north of Spokane, Washington, went across the street to the post office to check for late mail-in ballots.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026

Whereas Hochman often compared L.A. to crime-plagued “Gotham City,” McKinney acknowledges the city’s more recent struggles are not with violence, but with quality-of-life crimes: unchecked homeless encampments, street racing, animal abuse on Skid Row.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Out on the street, a couple of shopkeepers sweeping the walks in front of their stores gave me double takes as I went by.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

They fear the displacement of traffic on to their roads, with buses, taxis and bikes being rerouted to adjacent streets.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

In Kyiv, generators hum in the light-starved streets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

In the Hebron neighbourhood of Ein Deir Baha, nestled between two hills, vacated buildings were marked by X's and the streets were deserted, save a pair of Israeli military vehicles.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

Hundreds of thousands of people are protesting in the streets.

From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2026

And then, feeling perhaps that he had underlined his victory sufficiently, sauntered out into the empty streets.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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Related Words

• avenue
• boulevard
• court
• highway
• lane
• pavement
• place
• road
• roadway
• route
• thoroughfare
• track
• trail

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