main·stream
ˈmān-ˌstrēm 
: a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence
mainstream
adjective
main·stream
: having, reflecting, or being compatible with the prevailing attitudes and values of a society or group
mainstream media
movies that appeal to a mainstream audience
mainstream success
main·stream
ˈmān-ˈstrēm
mainstreamed; mainstreaming; mainstreams
1
: to place (a student, such as a disabled child) in regular school classes
2
: to incorporate in the mainstream
Examples of mainstream in a Sentence
Verb
The poor should be mainstreamed into the private health-insurance system.
Ideas that were once controversial have now become mainstreamed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2025
However, many of these women were also dissatisfied with the approach that mainstream clinics take.
—Emma Kennedy, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
Emma Kennedy, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
These tools have become mainstream, and their growth suggests that many households are working hard to maintain holiday spending levels without taking on traditional credit.
—Drew O’Connor, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Dec. 2025
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Nov. 2025
For months, Mamdani’s opponents in politics and in right-leaning media have been seeking to paint him as a scary threat to mainstream values.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainstream
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Noun
Trump has made a habit during the first year of his second term of attacking mainstream news organizations, suing outlets like The New York Times and banning certain wire services from key Oval Office spaces over their coverage.
—Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2025
However, many of these women were also dissatisfied with the approach that mainstream clinics take.
—Emma Kennedy, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Much of the approach resembles the initial testing used to evaluate patients in mainstream reproductive endocrinology and infertility clinics.
—Emma Kennedy, The Conversation, 12 Dec. 2025
These tools have become mainstream, and their growth suggests that many households are working hard to maintain holiday spending levels without taking on traditional credit.
—Drew O’Connor, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Dec. 2025
Verb
This contrast shows that blistering performance is no longer limited to ultra-exclusive hypercars – high-end acceleration has now reached vehicles across multiple market segments, from luxury to mainstream EV sedans.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Nov. 2025
For months, Mamdani’s opponents in politics and in right-leaning media have been seeking to paint him as a scary threat to mainstream values.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainstream
Cite this Entry
“Mainstream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainstream. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
mainstream
adjective
main·stream
ˌmān-ˌstrēm
: relating to or being tobacco smoke that is drawn (as from a cigarette) directly into the mouth of the smoker and is usually inhaled into the lungs compare sidestream
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