mainstream
noun
main·stream
| \ ˈmān-ˌstrēm
\
\
Definition of mainstream
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence
mainstream
verb
main·stream
| \ ˈmān-ˈstrēm
\
\
mainstreamed;
mainstreaming;
mainstreams
Definition of mainstream (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to place (a student, such as a disabled child) in regular school classes
2
: to incorporate in the mainstream
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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: Noun
The program is an intensive weeklong summer boot camp for high school students interested in journalism and who represent demographics that don’t typically see much representation in mainstream media. — oregonlive.com, "Student journalists grind it out in Corvallis, Portland schools offer more resources to parents who sue: The week in education," 20 July 2019 But after a series of controversies and mishaps—including a near-lethal loss of oxygen and conflict between researchers and their new manager, Steve Bannon—it was dismissed as a failure in mainstream media. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "Inside the strange—and misunderstood—saga of Biosphere 2," 11 July 2019 Voters put up with the scripted tactic as long as a candidate had not gone too extreme in the primaries and endorsed positions too far out of the mainstream. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "Democratic Candidates Aren’t on a Winning Track," 4 July 2019 No king of the underground if not also king of the mainstream! — Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, "Stormzy at Glastonbury: King Michael Wears His Crown," 2 July 2019 Meanwhile, the Miles Davis Quintet with John Coltrane and the Max Roach Quintet with Clifford Brown were codifying a large swath of the emerging mainstream. — Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press, "'Jazz from Detroit': Exclusive excerpt from new book about city's remarkable jazz legacy," 30 June 2019 Because the magazine gave the new length the go-ahead, department stores started to order them, and major designers started to mimic the look in their own lines in fear of being left out of the mainstream. — Marlen Komar, Vox, "The surprisingly controversial history of the midi-length skirt," 27 June 2019 Republicans have similarly accused Democrats this year of moving out of the mainstream on a range of issues, including health care, immigration and guns. — Eliza Collins, WSJ, "Democratic Candidates Unite in Support for Abortion Rights," 22 June 2019 The museum highlights the successes and struggles of the players (both superstars and the unknown) and provides a glimpse into the incredible talent kept out of the mainstream. — National Geographic, "13 destinations for African-American history and culture," 23 May 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The killer in El Paso, like killers at synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway, or mosques in Christchurch and Quebec, cited rhetoric mainstreamed by Trump. — Tim Fernholz, Quartz, "Why the US probably won’t pass stronger gun control laws," 10 Aug. 2019 Mal and her pals (played by Boyce, Sofia Carson and Booboo Stewart) are still trying to mainstream the Villain Kids and bring them over when a crisis strikes. — Brian Lowry, CNN, "'Descendants 3' sees its musical magic starting to fade," 2 Aug. 2019 For once, women whom mainstream society habitually ignored were being represented in pop culture as individuals with virtues and flaws, rather than as a monolithic mass of degenerates or vixens. — Time, "Orange Is the New Black Is the Decade's Most Important Show," 22 July 2019 In addition, the absence of customised financing options is a major stumbling block in mainstreaming rooftop solar in India. — Tirthankar Mandal, Quartz India, "Cheaper loans could take solar power to more rooftops in India," 21 July 2019 And as those changes slowly begin to mainstream in the near future, one thing is clear right now: your next co-designer is very likely to be a self-designing machine with a few good ideas of its own. — Pam Baker, Ars Technica, "Artificial Intelligence and the coming of the self-designing machine," 6 Dec. 2018 There was the architect of the Trump campaign, Steve Bannon, who spent years mainstreaming white nationalism. — Laura Mcgann, Vox, "Let’s stop pretending Trump is just pretending," 30 Oct. 2018 To really mainstream EVs, that’s where the action is. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "Your Gadgets' Battery Life Could Be About to Get Much Better," 19 Oct. 2018 The newspaper reported that officials misinformed Cruz about his options after the failure of efforts to mainstream him at Stoneman Douglas. — Curt Anderson, The Seattle Times, "Paper faces contempt for story on school shooting suspect," 7 Aug. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mainstream.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for mainstream
mainstream
verb
English Language Learners Definition of mainstream
chiefly US
: to place (a child with special educational needs) in regular school classes
: to cause (someone or something) to be included in or accepted by the group that includes most people
See the full definition for mainstream in the English Language Learners Dictionary
mainstream
adjective
main·stream
| \ ˌmān-ˌstrēm
\
\
Medical Definition of mainstream
: 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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