Synonyms

side street

American

noun

a street leading away from a main street; an unimportant street or one carrying but little traffic.

side street British

noun

a minor or unimportant street, esp one leading off a main thoroughfare

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

side street Idioms

A minor thoroughfare that carries little traffic, as in Our favorite hotel is on a quiet little side street. The side in this idiom means “off to one side, away from the main street.” [c. 1600] Also see back street.

Etymology

Origin of side street

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There’s also one in Hollywood where Cafe Des Artistes used to be on that weird little side street.

From Los Angeles Times

Layton strives to capture L.A. and he gets parts of it right: the side streets and strip malls and streaky headlights at night.

From Los Angeles Times

Emma and I decided to start handing out flyers on the main drag and then wind through all the little side streets I haven’t explored yet.

From Literature

There is advice on how to minimise our exposure to air pollution - including walking on quieter side streets or keeping away from the edge of the road so you're further from traffic.

From BBC

Murals on side streets depict women cooking tortillas on a comal and musicians playing guitar and accordion.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023