Standard Lemma guide

mainstream

adj · noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmeɪn.stɹiːm/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈmeɪn.stɹim/
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈmæɪn.stɹiːm/
  • CMU ARPABET: M EY1 N S T R IY2 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Used or accepted broadly rather than by small portions of population, market, scientific community, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • They often carry stories you won't find in the mainstream media.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The principal current in a flow, such as a river or flow of air

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

That which is common; the norm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: usually

Examples

  • ideas outside of the mainstream

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To popularize, to normalize, to render mainstream.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To become mainstream.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To educate (a disabled student) together with non-disabled students.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, transitive

Topics: education

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the prevailing current of thought

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his thinking was in the American mainstream

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: thought

History

Etymology

From main + stream. Cognate with Icelandic meginstraumur (“a main current, mainstream”).

Across languages

Translations

86 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: meynstrim — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Azerbaijani: başaxın — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Bulgarian: преобладаващ (preobladavašt) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Chinese Mandarin: 主流的 (zhǔliú de) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Czech: mainstreamový — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Esperanto: ĉefstila — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Finnish: valtavirtaa edustava — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Finnish: valtavirta- — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Finnish: valta- — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • French: commercial — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • French: conventionnel — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Galician: convencional — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Georgian: ძირითადი მიმართულება (ʒiritadi mimartuleba) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Georgian: წამყვანი მიმართულება (c̣amq̇vani mimartuleba) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Georgian: გავრცელებული (gavrcelebuli) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Georgian: დამკვიდრებული (damḳvidrebuli) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Georgian: მეინსტრიმული (meinsṭrimuli) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • German: Mainstream- — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • German: etabliert — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • German: konventionell — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Greek: κυρίαρχο ρεύμα (kyríarcho révma) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Greek: επικρατούσα τάση (epikratoúsa tási) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Hungarian: meghatározó — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Hungarian: irányadó — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Hungarian: fősodorbeli — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Hungarian: fősodratú — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Hungarian: főáramú — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Hungarian: mainstream — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Indonesian: arus utama — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Irish: lárshrutha — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Irish: príomhshrutha — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Italian: virale — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Italian: corrente — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Italian: comune — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Italian: convenzionale — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Italian: conformista — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Italian: prestabilito — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Italian: tradizionale — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Italian: flusso mediatico predominante — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Japanese: 主流 (shuryū) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Malayalam: മുഖ്യധാര (mukhyadhāra) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Māori: auraki — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Polish: mainstreamowy — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Portuguese: convencional — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Russian: мейнстри́мовый (mɛjnstrímovyj) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Russian: мейнстри́мный (mɛjnstrímnyj) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Russian: основно́й (osnovnój) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Russian: магистра́льный (magistrálʹnyj) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: normal — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: aceptado — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: cotidiano — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: convencional — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: hegemónico — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: de corriente dominante — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: cuotidiano — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: comercial — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: típico — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: establecido — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: establido (disused) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: preestablecido — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: común y corriente — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: corriente y moliente — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: predominante — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: popular — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Spanish: famoso — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Ukrainian: мейнстри́мний (mejnstrýmnyj) — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Vietnamese: chính thống — used or accepted broadly; common, usual or conventional
  • Bulgarian: преобладаваща тенденция (preobladavašta tendencija) — that which is common
  • Chinese Mandarin: 主流 (zhǔliú) — that which is common
  • Czech: hlavní proud — that which is common
  • Czech: mejnstrým — that which is common
  • Finnish: valtavirta — that which is common
  • German: Hauptrichtung — that which is common
  • German: Mainstream — that which is common
  • Hungarian: fősodor — that which is common
  • Hungarian: mainstream — that which is common
  • Indonesian: arus utama — that which is common
  • Japanese: 主流 (shuryū) — that which is common
  • Malay: arus perdana — that which is common
  • Polish: mainstream — that which is common
  • Russian: основно́е направле́ние (osnovnóje napravlénije) — that which is common
  • Russian: мейнстри́м (mɛjnstrím) — that which is common
  • Spanish: lo común y corriente — that which is common
  • Spanish: corriente dominante — that which is common
  • Spanish: lo corriente y moliente — that which is common
  • Swedish: strömfåra — that which is common
Real reading context

mainstream in complete knowledge articles