man in the street

noun

1. the ordinary person; the average citizen:

   the political opinions of the man in the street.

man in the street

noun

1. the typical or ordinary person, esp as a hypothetical unit in statistics

Word History and Origins

Origin of man in the street¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Idioms and Phrases

Also, woman in the street . An ordinary, average person, as in It will be interesting to see how the man in the street will answer that question . This expression came into use in the early 1800s when the votes of ordinary citizens began to influence public affairs. Today it is used especially in the news media, where reporters seek out the views of bystanders at noteworthy events, and by pollsters who try to predict the outcome of elections.

Example Sentences

An Islamic extremist murdered a man in the street in protest against the Israel and Gaza conflict, a court has heard.

From BBC

The longer video shows that after authorities detained the man in the street, the situation appeared to de-escalate.

From Seattle Times

Could the present for Le Mans also be the future for the man in the street?

From BBC

“The folks in the theater, the man in the street, and the children in school knew that Washington was first in peace, first in war, and last in the American League,” Povich wrote in 1954.

From Washington Post

According to the lawsuit filed by Kara Brandon, Abbe had an altercation with another man in the street and police were called.

From Seattle Times