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Meaning & use

avenue

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈævənjuː/
US/ˈævəˌnuː/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A wide street in a town or city, often with trees along its sides or with large buildings on it.

    Grammar: Often part of a street name and then capitalised: Fifth Avenue; also used alone: walk down the avenue.

    Patterns

    • on something Avenue
    • down the avenue

    We rented a small apartment on Maple Avenue, two blocks from the park.

    A long avenue of oak trees led up to the old house.

    Fifth Avenue is famous for its expensive shops.

  2. nouncountablefigurative

    A possible way of achieving something or of dealing with a problem.

    Grammar: Usually used in the plural or with explore: explore every avenue, avenues of approach.

    Patterns

    • an avenue for something
    • explore avenues
    • avenue to something

    The company is exploring new avenues for growth in Asia.

    Appealing to a higher court was the only avenue left open to her.

    Volunteering can be a useful avenue into a career in healthcare.

Word forms

pluralavenues

Common combinations

explore every avenue
The detectives promised to explore every avenue before closing the case.
open up new avenues
Learning a second language opened up new avenues for her career.
a tree-lined avenue
They strolled along a tree-lined avenue in the evening light.
an avenue of approach
Negotiation seemed the best avenue of approach to the dispute.
avenues for research
The discovery created fresh avenues for research into the disease.

Synonyms and how they differ

boulevard
Boulevard is a wide city street, often with trees down the middle, and has no figurative sense of a way forward.
road
Road is a general word for any route for vehicles, whereas avenue is normally a broad, grander street in a town.
route
Route is the path taken to reach a place or goal and, like the figurative avenue, can mean a way to an outcome, though it feels more practical.
option
Option stresses a choice you can pick, while avenue stresses a line of action you can pursue or explore.

Opposites

dead end

Commonly confused: avenue or venue?

avenue vs venue

A venue is a place where an event happens, such as a concert hall, while an avenue is a street or a way of doing something.

Practice

Having tried mediation without success, the couple decided to explore other ___ for settling the dispute.

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