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

One group of protesters blocked the 101 Freeway — a major thoroughfare in downtown Los Angeles. —John Bacon, USA Today, 10 June 2025

Murders most often took place in markets, squares, and thoroughfares—all key nodes of medieval urban life—in the evenings or on weekends. —ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025

Middle-mile fiber routes are designed to follow major thoroughfares, connecting traffic signals, anchor institutions and core community organizations. —Jennifer Sanders, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025

The 57-year-old had been traveling the morning of May 23 near the intersection of Avenue 21 and Road 26, a two-lane rural thoroughfare near a fire station, with $60,000 worth of fitness merchandise piled in her vehicle. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for thoroughfare

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware

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