mainstream: Meaning and Definition of

main•stream

Pronunciation: (mān'strēm"), [key]
— n.
  1. the principal or dominant course, tendency, or trend: the mainstream of American culture.
  2. a river having tributaries.
—adj.
  1. belonging to or characteristic of a principal, dominant, or widely accepted group, movement, style, etc.: mainstream Republicans; a mainstream artist.
  2. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of jazz falling historically between Dixieland and modern jazz; specifically, swing music. Cf.(def. 4).
—v.t.
  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 (handicapped students) in regular school classes.
—v.i.
  1. to join or be placed in the mainstream.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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