street
street
Pronunciation
/striːt/ (one syllable)
/s/ as in "snake"
/t/ as in "top"
/r/ as in "red"
/iː/ as in "sheep"
/t/ as in "top"
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: street
Plural Noun: streets
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A public thoroughfare in a city or town, typically paved, with buildings on both sides, used by vehicles and pedestrians.
Synonyms: road, avenue, lane, thoroughfare, boulevard, way
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; concepts like "alley" or "path" might be seen as narrower or less formal, but not true opposites.)
Definition 2: (Figurative) The collective culture, environment, or general populace associated with an urban area or its more common, less privileged inhabitants.
Synonyms: urban environment, city life, the masses, the public
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; concepts like "countryside," "elite society," or "suburbia" might represent contrasting environments or social groups.)
Examples of Use
Books: "The air of the street was not fresh, nor was it particularly clean; but it was better than nothing, and it was better than the interior of any house." (from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911)
Newspapers: "City officials are working to repave several busy streets downtown after a harsh winter caused significant damage." (The Daily Herald, March 2024)
Online Publications: "How autonomous vehicles are set to transform our streets and urban landscapes." (TechCrunch, April 2025)
Entertainment Mediums (Film): In the movie Pulp Fiction, there's the famous line, "I'm Winston Wolf. I solve problems." followed by "It means I will take care of your problem on the street." (1994)
Entertainment Platforms (Music): "Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York, these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you." (from "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys, October 2009)
General Public Discourse: "The local community group organized a clean-up day to pick up litter from the streets and parks." (Heard in a community meeting, May 2025)
10 Quotes Using Street
"The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth." (Street saying)
"If you want to know a man, walk a mile in his shoes. If you want to know a city, walk its streets." (Unknown)
"The street finds its own uses for things." (William Gibson, Mona Lisa Overdrive, 1988)
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification – one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: 'My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!' And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'" (Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream" speech, August 28, 1963)
"A man has to learn that he cannot act with his possessions but with himself. And the only way he can act with himself is by stripping himself bare of all his possessions, all his pretences, and walking out on the street as a naked man." (Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot, 1869)
"There is nothing in the street that you can't have in your home." (Unknown)
"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will. Find out just what any people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. Men may not get all they pay for in this world; but they certainly pay for all they get." (Frederick Douglass, "West India Emancipation" speech, August 3, 1857)
"When you are on the street, you have to be ready for anything." (Mike Tyson)
"You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960)
"The street is a great teacher." (Unknown)
Etymology
The word "street" has a long history, going back to ancient times. It comes from the Latin word "strata," which literally means "paved way" or "something spread out." This makes a lot of sense because the Romans were famous for building well-paved roads, and these were the first "streets" in the sense of a defined path.
The first known use of a word very similar to "street" in English (or its early forms) dates back to Old English. Around the year 700 AD, the word was "strǣt." At that time, it meant a paved road, especially one built by the Romans. So, right from its very first use in English, the word "street" was associated with those sturdy, well-constructed paths that connected places and allowed people to travel. Over time, its meaning broadened to include any public road in a town or city, paved or not, where people and vehicles could go.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Street
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "street":
Man on the street: An ordinary person, typical of the general public.
On the street: Homeless; also, widely known or rumored.
Street smarts: Practical knowledge and common sense gained from experience in an urban environment.
Street legal: Permitted to be used on public roads.
Street cred (or street credibility): Respect and acceptance among people, especially in an urban or subculture setting.
Go down the wrong street: To make a bad decision or take a misguided path in life.
Street price: The actual price at which something is sold to the public, often lower than the official retail price.
Street fight: A rough, unplanned, and often violent confrontation.
To hit the streets: To go out, especially to protest or demonstrate; also, to be released or become available.
Street theater: Public performances, often impromptu, that engage with the audience on the street.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of street from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
