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Glite Dictionary
side street

side street

23 2.2
A small street off a main road that usually ends there
  • noun
  • /ˈsaɪd striːt/
: calle lateral
  • The small café is located on a quiet side street away from the main tourist attractions.

marginal, what they called back side streets? Yeah, detours rerouted. The clock is ticking

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Examples

  • The church in Golden was on a side street shaded by big, old maples.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • We walked briskly down the side street and into the parking lot.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The van then turned down the side street then back onto the road I was on and pulled up to me.

  • - Just take the side streets for once.

    It (2017)

  • L.A. is all about the side streets.

    The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000)

  • I cross the bridge, turn onto a side street, and pull over.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • My family heard my car as I turned onto the side street and then into our driveway.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The house was on a narrow side street leading to the large red brick Alexander Church.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • If you're travelling north, consider using side streets.

    44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003)

  • Not ten minutes later, Burns found himself on a dark side street, disoriented and full of the old dread.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

side road
vsside street
7 1.7

A small road that turns off a main road

usually ends at the main route rather than continuing through

Antonyms

Main Street
  • US
74 2.3

A town's main road where most shops, restaurants, and businesses are located

How Big

avenue
670 1.0
street
∞ 1.0
side street
23 2.2
alley
349 1.0

Surface Forms

side street singular
side streets plural

Morphology

side + street

The meaning 'a minor street off a main road' is directly and transparently composed from 'side' (adjacent/at the edge) + 'street' (a public road), so the overall sense is predictable from the parts. This noun+noun compositional pattern is common in English and in many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrase side street comes from the simple image of a small street at the side of a main road. Because it sits beside and often ends at the main road, the phrase means 'a minor or quiet street' today.