thoroughfare

noun

thor·​ough·​fare ˈthər-ə-ˌfer 

ˈthə-rə-

1

: a way or place for passage: such as

a

: a street open at both ends

b

: a main road

2

a

: passage, transit

b

: the conditions necessary for passing through

Synonyms of thoroughfare

• highway
• road
• street
• freeway
• route
• boulevard
• expressway
• roadway
• carriageway
• artery
• arterial
• turnpike

Examples of thoroughfare in a Sentence

one of the city's main thoroughfares

Recent Examples on the Web

This, Rostov’s main thoroughfare, wasn’t illuminated by the familiar bright glare of its many street lamps, or by light from its windows, now blacked out, but emerged from the darkness all the more gently in a milky cloak of moonlight. — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026

The massive project funded from 13 federal, state and local agencies, gives a glimpse of what’s to come for Long Beach thoroughfares. — Barbara Kingsley-Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Comella paid his fare at Canal Street — the driver would go no farther — and walked south on west Broadway, a thoroughfare of million-dollar lofts, to a point three blocks from the Trade Center. — Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Huge chunks of flaming fuselage fell across a six-lane thoroughfare, bursting into fireballs one by one. — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for thoroughfare

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware

Kids Definition

thoroughfare

noun

thor·​ough·​fare ˈthər-ə-ˌfa(ə)r 

ˈthə-rə-, 

-ˌfe(ə)r

1

: a street or road open at both ends

2

: a main road