avenue

noun

av·​e·​nue ˈa-və-ˌnü How to pronounce avenue (audio)
-ˌnyü
Synonyms of avenuenext
1
: a way of access : route
2
: a channel for pursuing a desired object
avenues of communication
3
a
chiefly British : the principal walk or driveway to a house situated off a main road
b
: a broad passageway bordered by trees
4
: an often broad street or road

Synonyms of avenue

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Examples of avenue in a Sentence

We drove down the avenue. We plan to pursue all available avenues to get our message to the public. They have closed off that avenue of discussion. a new avenue of research
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With news of its impending closure, consider this your excuse to squeeze in one last visit while cheering on runners just two avenues away on First Avenue. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026 Police said that at the beginning of October, six different businesses on the avenue were vandalized and burgled in the span of a single week. — CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 Frank Hanes / Chicago Tribune The skyscrapers of Chicago's downtown rise behind Cabrini-Green, which is bounded on the north by Clybourn, left, and Ogden avenues, right, circa 1986. — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026 This is especially useful for gleaning information about classified or proprietary satellite designs, extending a new avenue for international and corporate espionage to the high frontier. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for avenue

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from feminine of avenu, past participle of avenir to come to, from Latin advenire — more at adventure

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of avenue was in 1600

Rhymes for avenue

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Browse Nearby Words

aventurine
avenue
Avenzoar
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Avenue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avenue. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

avenue

noun
av·​e·​nue ˈav-ə-ˌn(y)ü How to pronounce avenue (audio)
1
: a way or route to a place or goal : path
2
: a usually wide street
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