main course

American  

noun

• main courses
  plural

1. Nautical. a square mainsail.

2. the principal dish or course of a meal, typically including meat or fish.

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main course British  

noun

1. the principal dish of a meal

2. nautical a square mainsail

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• main courses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of main course

First recorded in 1505–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

main course

ADP is an appetizer of sorts ahead of the main course for markets: the official U.S. employment report on Friday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

For about $6, a box gives you two buttery sheets of possibility: enough to make crisp, savory egg tarts for the main course — and a small sweet course to follow.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Of course, these six IPOs are mere appetizers to the SpaceX main course.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

The appetizers, especially the charred grapes with mozzarella cheese and balsamic vinegar cream, were better than the main course.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

But after those appetizers came the main course.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia