Definition of "on the street" in English

Prepositional phrase

1. Without a home; without the means to afford good shelter.

   • We haven't been able to pay rent for five months. Next month we'll be on the street.

2. In public, including daily life and the crime that sometimes occurs there; especially, in the world of street crime and those whose daily life is immersed in it.

   • At that time, a greenback was worth more on the street than it was at the foreign exchange office.
   • Their attitude is that the police commissioner's bluster isn't worth much on the street.

3. In actual practice, as opposed to in a laboratory, classroom, etc.

   • These students are eager to test their knowledge on the street instead of in the exam book.

4. Working as a sex worker.

   • Times got a little desperate and she was on the street for a while.

5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see on,‎ the,‎ street.

   • The pavement markings on the street were confusing to foreigners.