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
Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Feb. 2025
However, despite its mainstream popularity, limited research exists on its effects on weight loss.
—Amy Brownstein, Ms, Rdn, Verywell Health, 7 Feb. 2025
Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Unfortunately, this nuance doesn’t matter to the actual white supremacists and antisemitic extremists whose own bigoted ideas have found mainstream expression thanks to Kanye.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Feb. 2025
Kathleen Gallagher, Journal Sentinel, 11 Dec. 2024
That was as close to mainstream Hollywood acceptance as Lynch would ever get, and he was burned by his next venture, a big-budget adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel Dune.
—Stephen Galloway, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mainstream 
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Noun
In a dramatically changing media landscape, these emerging programs have surged in popularity and influence, often at the expense of traditional or mainstream media.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Feb. 2025
However, despite its mainstream popularity, limited research exists on its effects on weight loss.
—Amy Brownstein, Ms, Rdn, Verywell Health, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
ArcLight launched in 2002 at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood with a pioneering luxury experience that has since become more mainstream.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Unfortunately, this nuance doesn’t matter to the actual white supremacists and antisemitic extremists whose own bigoted ideas have found mainstream expression thanks to Kanye.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
This is new to mainstream Wisconsin venture capital.
—Kathleen Gallagher, Journal Sentinel, 11 Dec. 2024
That was as close to mainstream Hollywood acceptance as Lynch would ever get, and he was burned by his next venture, a big-budget adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel Dune.
—Stephen Galloway, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mainstream
Dictionary Entries Near mainstream
Cite this Entry
“Mainstream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainstream. Accessed 16 Feb. 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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