thoroughfare

noun

thor·​ough·​fare ˈthər-ə-ˌfer How to pronounce thoroughfare (audio)
ˈthə-rə-
1
: a way or place for passage: such as
a
: a street open at both ends
b
: a main road
2
b
: the conditions necessary for passing through

Examples of thoroughfare in a Sentence

one of the city's main thoroughfares
Recent Examples on the Web Meanwhile, people trying to flee burning neighborhoods packed the few thoroughfares in and out of town. Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Rebecca Boone, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2024 The Chesapeake 1000 – the largest crane on the East Coast – arrived Friday to help clear debris from where a 213-million-pound cargo vessel slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, destroying the vital thoroughfare and killing six construction workers. Dalia Faheid, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024 The east-west thoroughfare goes across Carlsbad from the beach to College Boulevard. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 In advance of the Final Four, the school removed the aluminum light posts along Hillside Road, the main thoroughfare through the center of campus, and replaced them with temporary recessed lighting. NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024 Go to a hotel, park or shopping area that’s nestled up against a busy thoroughfare. Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024 Protests ramped up on Saturday in Tel Aviv, with one group lighting a fire at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice and another gathering on the main thoroughfare Begin Road, Nouri says. Mallory Moench, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024 Along thoroughfares like Youree Drive, named after a Confederate officer, a mix of Nickelson and Whitehorn signs competed for space. Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2024 Often, Williams collects the earth from historically important sites of loss in the African diaspora: plantations of the American South, street corners where Black trans women were murdered or the banks of a river that became a thoroughfare for the domestic slave trade. Zachary Small, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thoroughfare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thoroughfare was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near thoroughfare

Cite this Entry

“Thoroughfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thoroughfare. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

thoroughfare

noun
thor·​ough·​fare ˈthər-ə-ˌfa(ə)r How to pronounce thoroughfare (audio)
ˈthə-rə-,
-ˌfe(ə)r
1
: a street or road open at both ends
2
: a main road

More from Merriam-Webster on thoroughfare

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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