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

Protesters again gathered outside the parliament building on the main Rustaveli Avenue thoroughfare, launching fireworks at the building and at police lines. —David Brennan, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2024

There’s a restaurant for every craving and any budget along Bay View’s main thoroughfare. —Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 26 Nov. 2024

In 2023, the W Budapest opened in the Drechsler Palace, one of the grand palazzos that line the city’s Andrássy Avenue, a tony commercial thoroughfare that is, like the palace itself, a UNESCO World Heritage site. —Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024

States and cities can work together to fix legacy highways — and federal support can help In Portland, Oregon, pretty much everyone seems to agree that 82nd Avenue, a major thoroughfare that the state manages, is a disaster. —David Zipper, Vox, 13 Nov. 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