The Great White Way

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The name formerly applied to Broadway, the theatrical district of New York City.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “The Great White Way” mean?

The name formerly applied to Broadway, the theatrical district of New York City.

Is “The Great White Way” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.