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
Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2025
This year’s Super Bowl — to be held Feb. 9 on Fox — will anoint artificial intelligence companies and products as the new mainstream (yes, that is despite this week’s Wall Street meltdown after a Chinese AI app, DeepSeek, shook the foundations of Silicon Valley).
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Feb. 2025
Carpenter is going to be a mainstream presence for a very long time whatever happens on Grammy night, but multiple general category wins would nudge a remarkable upward trajectory even higher.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2025
Stephen Galloway, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
Now, a small group of companies and enthusiasts are laying the groundwork for bringing RISC-V to mainstream consumer devices.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mainstream 
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Noun
As Trump entered the GOP political mainstream and immigration became front and center in national politics amid a migration crisis in the Western Hemisphere, the South Florida lawmakers — and in many cases the voters in their districts — turned towards the president’s hard-line policies.
—Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2025
This year’s Super Bowl — to be held Feb. 9 on Fox — will anoint artificial intelligence companies and products as the new mainstream (yes, that is despite this week’s Wall Street meltdown after a Chinese AI app, DeepSeek, shook the foundations of Silicon Valley).
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
For Ocasio-Cortez in particular, the once-fiery progressive has sought to become more mainstream during her time in Congress.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Feb. 2025
Carpenter is going to be a mainstream presence for a very long time whatever happens on Grammy night, but multiple general category wins would nudge a remarkable upward trajectory even higher.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
That was as close to mainstream Hollywood acceptance as Lynch would ever get, and he was burned by his next venture, a big-budget adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel Dune.
—Stephen Galloway, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
Now, a small group of companies and enthusiasts are laying the groundwork for bringing RISC-V to mainstream consumer devices.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Jan. 2025
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 4 Feb. 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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