thoroughfare

[thur-oh-fair, -uh-fair, thuhr-]

noun

1. a road, street, or the like, that leads at each end into another street.

2. a major road or highway.

3. a passage or way through.

   no thoroughfare.

4. a strait, river, or the like, affording passage.

thoroughfare

/ ˈθʌrəˌfɛə /

noun

1. a road from one place to another, esp a main road

2. way through or access

   no thoroughfare

Word History and Origins

Origin of thoroughfare¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, thoroughfare is from the Middle English word thurghfare. See thorough, fare

Example Sentences

It aims to transform the street from a narrow, cluttered thoroughfare dominated by cars, to a more pleasant place to shop and visit.

Read more on BBC

For years, the fastest athletes on the planet would race in New York City’s Fifth Avenue Mile, a 20-block dash down the famous Manhattan thoroughfare.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The sparse landscaping on the thoroughfares left sidewalks exposed to the bright sun, and the constant rumble of trucks and buses assaulted the eardrums.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It is a critical thoroughfare — the only viable route linking Crescent City, a tsunami-prone town of 6,200 people, with neighboring Humboldt County and the rest of the state.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In Mexico City, the march brought traffic in the capital to a standstill, as the protest moved down the main thoroughfare.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• artery 
• avenue 
• boulevard 
• causeway 
• expressway 
• freeway 
• highway 
• lane 
• street 
• waterway