thoroughfare

noun

thor·​ough·​fare ˈthər-ə-ˌfer 

ˈthə-rə-

1

: a way or place for passage: such as

a

: a street open at both ends

b

: a main road

2

a

: passage, transit

b

: the conditions necessary for passing through

Synonyms

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

Examples of thoroughfare in a Sentence

one of the city's main thoroughfares

Recent Examples on the Web

But on a sunny morning this spring, the thoroughfare was eerily empty – slowly becoming the new normal. —Websder Corneille, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 June 2024

As the firefighters chased calls, a trio of missiles slammed into the central thoroughfare of Aitaroun, a village less than two miles from the border and a staging ground for Hezbollah. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024

Situated on the main thoroughfare of Heilles (population 655), about a 55-mile drive north of Paris in France’s Oise department, the bistro was not only the sole restaurant left in the village but also its sole remaining business. —Chrissie McClatchie, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2024

Broadway, the city’s central thoroughfare, bustled. —Victor J. Blue Melissa Hoppert, New York Times, 8 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

thoroughfare

noun

thor·​ough·​fare ˈthər-ə-ˌfa(ə)r 

ˈthə-rə-,

-ˌfe(ə)r

1

: a street or road open at both ends

2

: a main road