What does "avenue" mean?
A broad street, especially one bordered by trees or, in cities laid out in a grid pattern, one that is on a particular side of the city or that runs in a particular direction.
Avenue
/ˈæv.əˌn(j)u/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A broad street, especially one bordered by trees or, in cities laid out in a grid pattern, one that is on a particular side of the city or that runs in a particular direction.
- Grammar: avenue is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: access, aisle, alley, alleyway.
- Useful contrasts: alley, barrier, dead end.
- Usage evidence: The ambulance broke down in the middle of the busy avenue.
How to use "avenue"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "avenue" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "avenue" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "avenue" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "avenue" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "avenue" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "access" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "avenue", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A broad street, especially one bordered by trees or, in cities laid out in a grid pattern, one that is on a particular side of the city or that runs in a particular direction.
"Finding an address east to west is fairly simple . The numbering begins at Central Avenue and moves logically and predictably either west through the avenues or east through the streets, so you know that 2400 East Camelback is at Twenty-Fourth Street or 4300 West Indian School is at Forty-Third Avenue ."
- 2 a line of approach wordnet
- 3 A way or opening for entrance into a place; a passage by which a place may be reached; a way of approach or of exit.
"[S]ome have used to get on the top of the higheſt Steeple, vvhere one may vievv with advantage, all the Countrey circumjacent, and the ſite of the City, vvith the advenues and approaches about it; and ſo take a Landskip of it."
- 4 a wide street or thoroughfare wordnet
- 5 The principal walk or approach to a house which is withdrawn from the road, especially, such approach bordered on each side by trees; any broad passageway thus bordered.
"They said nothing further, but tramped on in the growing darkness, past farm steadings, into the little village, through the silent churchyard where generations of the Pallisers lay, and up the beech avenue that led to Northrop Hall."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A method or means by which something may be accomplished.
"There are several avenues by which we can approach this problem."
Example
"The ambulance broke down in the middle of the busy avenue."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "avenue"?
Common synonyms include: access, aisle, alley, alleyway, ambulatory, aperture.
How do you use "avenue" in a sentence?
The ambulance broke down in the middle of the busy avenue.
How do you pronounce "avenue"?
Pronounced /ˈæv.əˌn(j)u/.
Etymology
Borrowed from French avenue, from Old French avenue, feminine past participle of avenir (“approach”), from Latin adveniō, advenīre (“come to”, from ad (“to”) + veniō, venīre (“come”)).