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

One part of the plan calls for an extension of Innovation Drive to West Wisconsin Avenue, making the main street of the research park into a thoroughfare and transforming the current cul-de-sac on Innovation Drive into a roundabout. —Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 27 Feb. 2026

The crash prompted temporary road closures to Colusa Avenue, the main east-west thoroughfare, through central Yuba City. —Sacbee.com, 27 Feb. 2026

Elevate Porter County, the effort to develop a comprehensive plan for land use and thoroughfares, hosted a workshop Monday evening to engage the community in steering the county’s future. —Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026

The tunnel stretched from beneath the church to a hotel on the north side of Main Street, meaning the underground thoroughfare guided people who escaped past the bounty hunters, Roberts said. —Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Feb. 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