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

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

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

Police have sealed off a street after being called to an incident at a house in Armadale, West Lothian.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

After the first plane hit, WSJ reporters started gathering first hand accounts on the street.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Through my work as a stylist and my personal style, I want people walking down the street or scrolling on social media to stop and think.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

He was just another guy living on a busy city street.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

The clop and clatter of the horse and wagon sounded from the street as James’s ba drew up in front of the store.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Thousands of mourners lined the streets as the king's casket was transported to the royal tombs in Fort Portal where a private ceremony took place.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Local residents have taken to the streets and beaches repeatedly this summer to protest the island’s growing flock of visitors, united by one message: “Tourists, go home.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

Posters of a beaming Modi line streets across New Delhi to welcome the leaders, with heavy deployments of security forces across the capital and widespread traffic restrictions.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Many civilians have already left, and key streets there are now covered with anti-drone nets, says Viktor Makurin, a volunteer from London.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

I don’t even know Aunt Tess’s neighborhood except as a night-lurker, walking to and from work past shuttered businesses and empty streets.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

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