thoroughfare

noun

ˈthər-ə-ˌfer How to pronounce thoroughfare (audio)
Definition of thoroughfarenext
as in highway
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel one of the city's main thoroughfares

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of thoroughfare What to do nearby Archway is set on Frankford Avenue, a main thoroughfare that cuts through Fishtown, a thriving neighborhood situated northeast of Center City along the Delaware River. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026 The resulting long lineups snake out from working gas stations into the main thoroughfares of Moscow and other Russian cities. — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026 Rancho Cordova was awarded more than $3 million in grants from a local agency for two road improvement projects on major city thoroughfares. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 The crash occurred along the Hawan Kibo-Jos route, a major thoroughfare connecting Plateau to Abuja, the capital. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thoroughfare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thoroughfare
  1. highway
  2. road
  3. street
  4. freeway
  5. route
  6. boulevard
  7. expressway
  8. roadway
Noun
  • Those assurances preceded Machado’s dramatic reappearance Sunday at a Catholic church in Lara state and a journey across northern Venezuela that drew thousands of cheering supporters to highways and city streets.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The couple perished in an Oregon highway crash in November 2025.
    — Eric Mack , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of highway
Noun
  • The rear tire plays a different role from its conventional use on roads.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The trip to Seattle began a stretch of six road games in eight weeks.
    — Sam McDowell October 25, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of road
Noun
  • In the city of Hurricane in far southwestern Utah, a shipping container drifting down a street gave way Friday to a mess of mud and debris to be cleaned up as people who had evacuated earlier in the week returned home.
    — MEAD GRUVER, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • There are few occasions that garner such good-willed camaraderie in New York City as the annual marathon, though the Knicks historic win this summer brought people out into the streets in rivaling numbers.
    — Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of street
Noun
  • Rui Hachimura had 16 points and six rebounds in his first trip back up the I-110 freeway to face the Lakers, his team for the previous 3 1/2 seasons.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The neighborhood had a diner, churches, and dance halls — but construction of the Crosstown freeway in the late 1960s would lead to an exodus of Filipino residents.
    — Marlee Ginter, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of freeway
Noun
  • Beer says that the main transmission route of viruses of the Simbu serogroup are biting midges, which can rapidly spread infections, especially in the summer and autumn.
    — Sahas Mehra, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Along most of its route, the water dropped just one meter in elevation per kilometer.
    — Michele Chabin, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of route
Noun
  • It is assigned to Fire Station 85, the district’s administrative and emergency response headquarters, at the intersection of Wilson and El Dorado Hills boulevards.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • South Floridians of a certain vintage — those familiar with Las Olas pre-pandemic, anyway — may remember Mangos, the Floribbean locals lounge that lasted 25 years on the boulevard before closing in 2017.
    — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of boulevard
Noun
  • Along with the crossing to Vung Tau, Vingroup is working on a metro line connecting Can Gio to Ho Chi Minh City and roads that will link to the city’s expressway network.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Video shows the single-engine plane careening into an overpass arching atop the expressway.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of expressway
Noun
  • The Silverado then veered off the roadway, traveled up an embankment and overturned, coming to rest on its roof in the third lane.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Once-barren lots have been excavated to lay foundations for apartments, roadways and restaurants.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of roadway

Browse Nearby Words

thoroughbreds
thoroughfare
thoroughfares
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thoroughfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thoroughfare. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All