mainline
Americanverb (used without object)
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mainlines,
present (3rd person singular)
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mainlined,
past participle, past
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mainlining
present participle
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to inject a narcotic, especially heroin, directly into a vein.
-
to use or enjoy something without restriction.
to mainline on TV movies.
verb (used with object)
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mainlines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mainlined,
past participle, past
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mainlining
present participle
-
to inject (a narcotic, especially heroin) directly into a vein.
-
to use, enjoy, or imbibe (something) without restriction.
mainlining coffee all day long.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mainlinesimple
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mainlinessimple
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have mainlinedperfect
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has mainlinedperfect
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am mainliningprogressive
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are mainliningprogressive
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is mainliningprogressive
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have been mainliningperfect progressive
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has been mainliningperfect progressive
Past
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mainlinedsimple
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had mainlinedperfect
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was mainliningprogressive
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were mainliningprogressive
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had been mainliningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mainline
1935–40, v., adj. use of main line
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Its strategy to polish its premium-travel credentials also includes new lounges, more high-end seating and Thursday’s announcement that it’s expanding Starlink Wi-Fi across its entire mainline fleet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The airline announced Thursday that it plans to expand its rollout of Starlink internet to its entire mainline fleet, embracing the fast wi-fi that has become a popular passenger perk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The cancellations took place on mainline routes after the bugs were spotted on 22 September.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
DWP plans to replace about 45 miles of mainline, which deliver water to individual services across neighborhoods, this fiscal year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Like many other evangelicals, some members attend churches that adhere to evangelical doctrine but that remain affiliated with mainline denominations.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Trunk lines appear to be in better condition than the utility’s mainlines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
He mainlines all of his romantic entanglements as if they were the antidote to his unresolved traumas.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2025
The line was used to transport agricultural products and produce as a crucial connector to other mainlines down the Columbia River.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
Current labor agreements ensure that freight trains on mainlines have two people — an engineer and conductor — onboard.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2023
Trains in England and Wales will also be badly affected, including services between London and Scotland on both the East and West Coast mainlines.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2022
But the show still went on that night, thanks to Voytko, a swing and an understudy for Marian, who mainlined the role in eight hours.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2022
Johnson said that businesses had mainlined on low-wage imported labour for nearly 25 years and that they should now pay their workers more and invest more.
From Reuters ● Oct. 5, 2021
“Hades,” because you can really get in the zone on that game, and they’ve got the meta-upgrade drug mainlined right to your brain: So.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2020
I mean, they’re really being mainlined right into your brain.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 15, 2018
It is less a video game than mainlined anxiety, its jump-scares timed with sadistic precision and its long, shadow-splashed corridors masterpieces of unnerving light design.
From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2011
The ubiquity of holiday songs also represents a rare monocultural music moment—even though listeners are spread across multiple streaming services and social-media platforms, many of them are mainlining the same tunes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025
In some ways, I feel like a conspiracy junkie who has relapsed, mainlining paranoia and dread.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2024
He was mainlining applause from the public gallery.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2022
VERDICT: Watching the 2021 Jets is like mainlining tryptophan.
From New York Times ● Nov. 21, 2021
Youths, I am told, speak of “hopium” and “copium,” but we need a word that incorporates the never-ending mainlining of information as well as the positive or negative cast of that information.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2020
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