boulevard

noun

bou·​le·​vard ˈbu̇-lə-ˌvärd 

ˈbü-,

 also  ˈbə-

: a broad often landscaped thoroughfare

Synonyms

• arterial
• artery
• avenue
• carriageway [British]
• drag
• drive
• expressway
• freeway
• high road
• highway
• pass
• pike
• road
• roadway
• route
• row
• street
• thoroughfare
• thruway
• trace
• turnpike
• way

Examples of boulevard in a Sentence

the city is celebrated for its broad, tree-lined boulevards

Recent Examples on the Web

Against a towering backdrop of black smoke with an ominous orange glow, the stately homes and broad boulevards of the Pacific Palisades looked small and exposed on Tuesday. —Jacey Fortin, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025

Where is new Sacramento-area restaurant? Tandoori Pizza’s new Elk Grove location will be in the Laguna Gateway shopping plaza adjacent to Highway 99 at the intersection of Laguna and West Stockton boulevards in Elk Grove. —Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025

The meditative sound of water trickling from the garden’s fountains provided the soundtrack – a welcome contrast to the buzz of the Parisian boulevards. —Kasia Dietz, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2025

Some of the city's oldest multifamily structures line the boulevard in one of its densest neighborhoods. —Tara Prindiville, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, modification of Middle Dutch bolwerc bulwark

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

boulevard

noun

bou·​le·​vard ˈbu̇l-ə-ˌvärd 

ˈbül-

: a wide avenue often having grass strips with trees along its center or sides

Etymology

from French boulevard "walkway lined with trees," derived from early Dutch bolwerc "bulwark, rampart"; so called because the earliest boulevards were at sites of razed fortifications — related to bulwark