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
Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Bulimia is no joke, even if Early finds unexpected humor in satirizing how such issues were once dealt with by mainstream TV.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
The rate of lifetime depression among women has increased by over 40% in the last decade, yet periods like postpartum and perimenopause remain under-addressed in mainstream mental health care.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Robert Hoban, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
News aficionados have given up subscriptions to mainstream publications like The Washington Post in recent months when they are perceived to cede authority or placate those in power.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainstream
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Noun
By the '90s, hip-hop cemented itself as a mainstream mainstay, and the artists' compelling music videos brought the culture to new heights.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Bulimia is no joke, even if Early finds unexpected humor in satirizing how such issues were once dealt with by mainstream TV.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
As a result, for decades, two mainstream parties on the left and right alternated in power.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
The rate of lifetime depression among women has increased by over 40% in the last decade, yet periods like postpartum and perimenopause remain under-addressed in mainstream mental health care.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
Denver Post via Getty Images THC Beverages The 2024 Farm Bill may well be the single most important piece of legislation for the THC beverage sector — a market that has gone from novelty to mainstream in just a few short years.
—Robert Hoban, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
News aficionados have given up subscriptions to mainstream publications like The Washington Post in recent months when they are perceived to cede authority or placate those in power.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainstream
Cite this Entry
“Mainstream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainstream. Accessed 9 Sep. 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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