in the street or on the street

Question

He lives on Main Street.

This sentence is from "Merriam-Webster " Dictionary.

But I found both usage " in the street" and "on the street." on ngram.

What is the difference between them, "live on street" or "live in street".

Peter · Accepted Answer · 2016-12-09 04:21:59Z

3

This is what one expects and where people usually live.

live on the street
live at an address of a particular street
He lives on the street next to the town hall.

This is being homeless and sleeping rough

live in the street
living unsheltered, not in a house
The dogs and cats of Rio live in the streets.

answered Dec 9 '16 at 4:21

Peter

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2

This may be a regional difference, but to this Northeastern US English speaker, someone who is homeless lives on the street, not in it. In the street would literally mean "situated in the road". – stangdon Dec 9 '16 at 12:57

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