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mainstream definition

main·stream (-strēm′)

noun

  1. the middle of a stream, where the current is strongest
  2. the part of something considered to be the most active, productive, lively, busy, etc. the mainstream of life
  3. a major or prevailing trend, as of thought, action, literature, or music
  4. ☆ Jazz a style of playing that evolved in the 1950s, based on rhythmic and harmonic elements of swing modified slightly by those of bop

transitive verb

  1. to cause to undergo mainstreaming
  2. to bring into the mainstream, as of employment, the economy, or politics

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

mainstream Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • enter: By way of this culture, Estonia entered the mainstream of the Occident.

Converse of subject

  • ignore: It's great to be among this community mostly ignored by the mainstream.

Adjective modifier

  • political: It's not too late for Britain to restore its natural authority on a subject which Margaret Thatcher first brought into the political mainstream.

Modifies a noun

  • medium: Anything I read or hear from mainstream media I take with a grain of salt.

Modifying Another Word

  • fairly: Then realize that in the scheme of things, these people are widely considered to be fairly mainstream.

Preposition: of

  • society: He wrote compassionate, realistic portraits of people who were outsiders, detached from the mainstream of society - as he was himself.
mainstream usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

mainstream quotes

We'll gladly enter the mainstream any time the mainstream will have us.

-Coen,Joel

mainstream quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"mainstream." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/mainstream>

APA Style

mainstream. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/mainstream

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