mainstream

[ meyn-streem ]

noun

1. the principal or dominant course, tendency, or trend:

   the mainstream of American culture.

2. a river having tributaries.
3. regular school classes or regular schools:

   keeping autistic students in the mainstream.

adjective

1. belonging to or characteristic of a principal, dominant, or widely accepted group, movement, style, etc.:

   mainstream Republicans;

   a mainstream artist;

   mainstream media.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of jazz falling historically between Dixieland and modern jazz; specifically, swing music. Compare traditional ( def 5 ).

verb (used with object)

1. to send into the mainstream; cause to join the main force, group, etc.:

   to mainstream young people into the labor force.

2. to place (students with disabilities) in regular school classes.

verb (used without object)

1. to join or be placed in the mainstream.

mainstream

/ ˈmeɪnˌstriːm /

noun

1. 1. the main current (of a river, cultural trend, etc)

      in the mainstream of modern literature

   2. ( as modifier )

      mainstream politics

adjective

1. of or relating to the style of jazz that lies between the traditional and the modern

mainstream

1. The prevailing current or direction of a movement or influence: “The candidate's speech represented the mainstream thinking on economic policy.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of mainstream¹

First recorded in 1660–70; main ¹ + stream

Example Sentences

Long before the great replacement theory became a dominant strain among mainstream conservatives — nearly 7 out of 10 Republicans have said the theory had merit — Tanton, while not using those words, began to define the term.

From Salon

All three candidates lost — Lamm received just 13,000 votes — bringing an end to what Pope described as the first modern battle to bring white supremacy into mainstream America under the guise of environmentalism.

From Salon

By then, the groups that Tanton had helped found had become larger than Tanton, who was in his mid-70s and diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and they had achieved mainstream power.

From Salon

Today’s Democratic Party, the mainstream news media and other defenders of political “normalcy” have few answers for the cultural force and energy of Trump's brand of right-wing populism.

From Salon

America and the world are changing rapidly; the Democrats, the media and the mainstream political class cannot keep up.

From Salon