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
Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 18 Apr. 2024
The Free Press is a site that has become a haven for journalists who believe that mainstream media outlets have become too liberal.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
Gay and lesbian Americans have moved into the cultural and social mainstream.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
However, there are numerous breakout-star stories amid country's mainstream crossover moment that could be told during the evening.
—Marcus K. Dowling, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
In recent years, anti-migrant sentiment has soared across the continent, and the far right has seized on it, pushing the issue into the political mainstream and narrowing that gap.
—Beatriz Ríos, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Many conservatives complain that mainstream churches—Catholic and Protestant alike—have grown soft and spineless.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
The guide offers examples of racists tropes and stereotypes that have been persistent for Latino characters in mainstream film and TV.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Few scenes in Nashville and beyond are as vibrant and exciting as the red-hot Red Dirt movement presently transforming once-regional names like Parker McCollum, who performed on the CMT Awards, and Zach Bryan, who did not, into mainstream stars.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Across India, but especially in states with BJP leadership, observers say religious divisions are growing as hardline Hindutva thought goes mainstream.
—Aakash Hassan, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2024
While official health agencies have reaffirmed the assertion that fluoride continues to be safe, effective and even necessary, the movement's growth indicates what was once considered a fringe opinion has become more mainstream.
—USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Growing demand Nonalcoholic beer has gone mainstream.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The self-help queen of TikTok is officially going mainstream.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024
After the underground comics scene declined, Ms. Robbins took on more mainstream work.
—Gavin Edwards, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The practice of blackface traces back to racist minstrel shows in the early 19th century where non-Black actors darkened their skin with makeup to portray caricatures of Black people — who were widely shut out from mainstream entertainment spaces.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The company’s sales have quadrupled in the States since 2020, and are likely to continue expanding across mainstream retailers.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024
Leo Barraclough, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
That was before graffiti moved from countercultural to mainstream.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Trending on Billboard Odunsi (The Engine) recruited underground and mainstream international artists as well as producers and engineers for his innovative Leather Park music camp, which took place in Paris Fashion Week last year.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
Matze launched Parler for the first time in 2018 as a free speech alternative to mainstream social media platforms like Twitter, now X, and Facebook.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
Long an anathema to mainstream politicians, Mr. Wilders has been at the center of coalition negotiations in the months since his decisive election victory in November.
—Claire Moses, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Such questions exploded from Reddit threads and tabloid pages to mainstream news outlets last month when William cited personal matters as his reason for missing the funeral of his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024
If the sports app really is a nascent sports-betting venture—still a big if—that would be the final confirmation of gambling’s acceptance into mainstream American culture, and a move that would mainstream gambling even more.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2024
This system, although not mainstream in the United States, makes for much longer-lasting carts and fewer wobbly wheels.
—Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024
Noun
The hunting community is experiencing whiplash after several articles appeared on mainstream news sites this week announcing that two hunters have died after eating venison from deer with chronic wasting disease.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 18 Apr. 2024
The Free Press is a site that has become a haven for journalists who believe that mainstream media outlets have become too liberal.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
Gay and lesbian Americans have moved into the cultural and social mainstream.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
However, there are numerous breakout-star stories amid country's mainstream crossover moment that could be told during the evening.
—Marcus K. Dowling, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
In recent years, anti-migrant sentiment has soared across the continent, and the far right has seized on it, pushing the issue into the political mainstream and narrowing that gap.
—Beatriz Ríos, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Many conservatives complain that mainstream churches—Catholic and Protestant alike—have grown soft and spineless.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
The guide offers examples of racists tropes and stereotypes that have been persistent for Latino characters in mainstream film and TV.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Few scenes in Nashville and beyond are as vibrant and exciting as the red-hot Red Dirt movement presently transforming once-regional names like Parker McCollum, who performed on the CMT Awards, and Zach Bryan, who did not, into mainstream stars.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Once a fringe substance, weed is now mainstream, and millions of Americans use it to treat a host of medical ailments including chronic pain and nausea.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Across India, but especially in states with BJP leadership, observers say religious divisions are growing as hardline Hindutva thought goes mainstream.
—Aakash Hassan, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2024
While official health agencies have reaffirmed the assertion that fluoride continues to be safe, effective and even necessary, the movement's growth indicates what was once considered a fringe opinion has become more mainstream.
—USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Growing demand Nonalcoholic beer has gone mainstream.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The self-help queen of TikTok is officially going mainstream.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024
After the underground comics scene declined, Ms. Robbins took on more mainstream work.
—Gavin Edwards, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The practice of blackface traces back to racist minstrel shows in the early 19th century where non-Black actors darkened their skin with makeup to portray caricatures of Black people — who were widely shut out from mainstream entertainment spaces.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The company’s sales have quadrupled in the States since 2020, and are likely to continue expanding across mainstream retailers.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
Since then, surfing has transitioned from countercultural pastime to mainstream sport.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
That was before graffiti moved from countercultural to mainstream.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Trending on Billboard Odunsi (The Engine) recruited underground and mainstream international artists as well as producers and engineers for his innovative Leather Park music camp, which took place in Paris Fashion Week last year.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
Matze launched Parler for the first time in 2018 as a free speech alternative to mainstream social media platforms like Twitter, now X, and Facebook.
—Makena Kelly, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
Long an anathema to mainstream politicians, Mr. Wilders has been at the center of coalition negotiations in the months since his decisive election victory in November.
—Claire Moses, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Such questions exploded from Reddit threads and tabloid pages to mainstream news outlets last month when William cited personal matters as his reason for missing the funeral of his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024
If the sports app really is a nascent sports-betting venture—still a big if—that would be the final confirmation of gambling’s acceptance into mainstream American culture, and a move that would mainstream gambling even more.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2024
This system, although not mainstream in the United States, makes for much longer-lasting carts and fewer wobbly wheels.
—Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mainstream.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mainstream
Cite this Entry
“Mainstream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainstream. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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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