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

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

Examples of thoroughfare in a Sentence

one of the city's main thoroughfares

Recent Examples on the Web

Listen to this article Five months after Seattle completed its three-year construction project for a new bus rapid transit line along a main thoroughfare, neighbors are beginning to take stock. —Elliott Wenzler, The Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2025

Crossing seven modern-day prefectures and the snowy crags of the Japanese Alps, this thoroughfare, the Nakasendō, connected the imperial capital of Kyoto with the cultural capital of Edo (now Tokyo). —Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2025

According to a post from I ♥ McDonough, Georgia, the series also features shots of the school's baseball field and the town's downtown thoroughfare. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 8 Feb. 2025

Sunset Boulevard at Palisades Drive was also reportedly impassible, with firefighters potentially using the thoroughfare as a firebreak. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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