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
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 8 Aug. 2025
Countless mainstream artists have been inspired by his boundlessness and his ability to sustain his central belief system, which is now described as Afrofuturism.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
Mohan Koo, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
All mainstream credit card numbers obey a mathematical trick designed to catch the most common typos.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2025
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2025
The role will also require managing and scaling Sundance’s year-round artist development programs, which produce work that often feeds festival programming and has helped send indie writers, directors and producers to mainstream Hollywood.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainstream
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Noun
But today’s mainstream movie products feel more slapdash than ever.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 8 Aug. 2025
Countless mainstream artists have been inspired by his boundlessness and his ability to sustain his central belief system, which is now described as Afrofuturism.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Platform is difficult to integrate with mainstream, complementary security tools and vendors.
—Mohan Koo, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
All mainstream credit card numbers obey a mathematical trick designed to catch the most common typos.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
But the road to mainstream stardom felt lightyears away when Jacinto—who was named one of People Magazine's Sexiest Men Alive in 2024—first moved to L.A. in 2012.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2025
The role will also require managing and scaling Sundance’s year-round artist development programs, which produce work that often feeds festival programming and has helped send indie writers, directors and producers to mainstream Hollywood.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 24 July 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 19 Aug. 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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