boulevard

noun

bou·​le·​vard ˈbu̇-lə-ˌvärd 

ˈbü-,

 also  ˈbə-

: a broad often landscaped thoroughfare

Synonyms

• arterial
• artery
• avenue
• carriageway [British]
• drag
• drive
• expressway
• freeway
• high road
• highway
• pass
• pike
• road
• roadway
• route
• row
• street
• thoroughfare
• thruway
• trace
• turnpike
• way

Examples of boulevard in a Sentence

the city is celebrated for its broad, tree-lined boulevards

Recent Examples on the Web

Nguyen Hue Street, a pedestrian boulevard stretching to the Saigon River, is the heart of the city, with a plethora of bars, restaurants, and buzzing nightclubs. —Chris Dong, AFAR Media, 2 Apr. 2025

Lisa led the way, phone in hand, through several small streets and out onto a wide boulevard, crowded even as shops were closing. —Ayşegül Savaş, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2025

They will be connected by a shared wall on multiple parcels in Culver City and Los Angeles surrounded by Venice, National and Washington boulevards. —Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025

American brands like Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Tesla, which once lined the boulevards of Paris, are becoming symbols of political resistance. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, modification of Middle Dutch bolwerc bulwark

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for boulevard

• bodyguard
• disregard
• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• courtyard

Kids Definition

boulevard

noun

bou·​le·​vard ˈbu̇l-ə-ˌvärd 

ˈbül-

: a wide avenue often having grass strips with trees along its center or sides

Etymology

from French boulevard "walkway lined with trees," derived from early Dutch bolwerc "bulwark, rampart"; so called because the earliest boulevards were at sites of razed fortifications — related to bulwark