main street
noun, proper noun
Forms main streets
- noun The principal street, or one of the several principal streets, of a town. “Invercargill in New Zealand has two main streets, Dee Street and Tay Street.”
- proper noun The proper name of the main street of any of many villages, towns, or small cities, especially in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and some parts of Scotland.
- proper noun (idiomatic, Canada, US, collective) Everyday working-class people and small business owners, especially with regard to their concerns, social views, etc. “Main Street will never accept such fashions.”
Synonyms
High Street common man everyman precariat proletariat working class middle class
Etymology
The street name sense is by proprialization from main street. The everyday-people sense is by metonymy.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “main street”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details