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

Several canvases show a bird’s-eye view of Paris’s crowded Haussmann-era boulevards, composed from his balcony. —Sarah Belmont, ARTnews.com, 31 Oct. 2024

From the classic cafés of Prague to the boulevards of Warsaw lined with post-soviet buildings, a new class of wealth is emerging. —Francois Botha, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

The second deadly crash took place at the intersection of Del Amo and Norwalk boulevards in the vicinity of the border between Lakewood and Cerritos, when a vehicle ran a red light and collided with a school bus about 8:30 a.m., Fantom said. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2024

Police closed that stretch of the boulevard for several hours. —Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, modification of Middle Dutch bolwerc bulwark

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined above

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