main course
Americannoun
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main courses
plural
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Nautical. a square mainsail.
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the principal dish or course of a meal, typically including meat or fish.
noun
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the principal dish of a meal
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nautical a square mainsail
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of main course
First recorded in 1505–15
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.
In any case, the ADP report is an appetizer of sorts ahead of the main course for markets: the official U.S. employment report on Friday.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 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
“I ate them enthusiastically and ended up getting full before the main course arrived,” he wrote in a highly relatable X message.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Of course, these six IPOs are mere appetizers to the SpaceX main course.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
The ground has just served Woo up to me like a main course on a platter of sand and diamond.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
