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