main·stream
ˈmān-ˌstrēm 
: a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence
mainstream
adjective
main·stream
: having, reflecting, or being compatible with the prevailing attitudes and values of a society or group
mainstream media
movies that appeal to a mainstream audience
mainstream success
main·stream
ˈmān-ˈstrēm
mainstreamed; mainstreaming; mainstreams
1
: to place (a student, such as a disabled child) in regular school classes
2
: to incorporate in the mainstream
Examples of mainstream in a Sentence
Verb
The poor should be mainstreamed into the private health-insurance system.
Ideas that were once controversial have now become mainstreamed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
While other mainstream brands charged into an EV future, Mazda has yet to build its first EV on a dedicated EV platform.
—Michael Taylor, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Brody Miller and Hugh Kellenberger, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
That tactic helped conservative Nicolas Sarkozy secure the presidency in 2007, and being tough on crime and immigration is now more mainstream.
—Elizabeth Pineau and Marine Strauss, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 7 Jan. 2025
How could a diasporic dharma teacher remain a mystery to professors and mainstream Buddhists while being trumpeted as the singular leader of international Buddhism by his followers across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Europe, and the United States?
—Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mainstream 
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Noun
The defamation case tests how the public perceives mainstream media amid constant right-wing attacks on its credibility.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
While other mainstream brands charged into an EV future, Mazda has yet to build its first EV on a dedicated EV platform.
—Michael Taylor, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Because beyond a very select view of golfing superstars that have become mainstream….
—Brody Miller and Hugh Kellenberger, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
That tactic helped conservative Nicolas Sarkozy secure the presidency in 2007, and being tough on crime and immigration is now more mainstream.
—Elizabeth Pineau and Marine Strauss, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
John has long been outspoken in his support of Roan, even before her ascent to mainstream stardom.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 7 Jan. 2025
How could a diasporic dharma teacher remain a mystery to professors and mainstream Buddhists while being trumpeted as the singular leader of international Buddhism by his followers across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Europe, and the United States?
—Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mainstream
Dictionary Entries Near mainstream
Cite this Entry
“Mainstream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainstream. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
mainstream
adjective
main·stream
ˌmān-ˌstrēm
: relating to or being tobacco smoke that is drawn (as from a cigarette) directly into the mouth of the smoker and is usually inhaled into the lungs compare sidestream
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