mainstream

1 of 3

noun

main·​stream ˈmān-ˌstrēm How to pronounce mainstream (audio)
: a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence
mainstream adjective

mainstream

2 of 3

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

mainstream

3 of 3

verb

main·​stream ˈmān-ˈstrēm How to pronounce mainstream (audio)
mainstreamed; mainstreaming; mainstreams

transitive verb

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
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.
Noun
Through his work, Strachan examines histories often overlooked in mainstream narratives, particularly those connected to the Black diaspora, encouraging viewers to reconsider which histories are celebrated and how they are represented. Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025 The Billboard charts have accordingly leapt from being an insider-y topic to a subject of mainstream conversation akin to player stats in professional sports. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Meanwhile, both fringe influencers and more mainstream role models have taken to podcasts and social media to assert that women should be responsible for homemaking, and men for protecting and providing. Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025 During this time, trans characters may have been in mainstream media, but they were usually played by cisgender men, Fischer said. Greta Cross, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
Those who do have access can now take their Sora creations and upload them to mainstream social media platforms, like Instagram and TikTok. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025 And Tucker Carlson has gained attention with his own programming distributed via social and digital media, Their audiences can be smaller and more disparate than the ones that come to mainstream news outlets, but in an era of cord-cutting, their niche power is not to be dismissed. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mainstream

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1599, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1955, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1974, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mainstream was in 1599

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mainstream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainstream. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

mainstream

noun
main·​stream
-ˌstrēm
: the principal current or direction of activity or influence

Medical Definition

mainstream

adjective
main·​stream ˌmān-ˌstrēm How to pronounce mainstream (audio)
: 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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