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• main line
  main line

  noun

  a principal line or route of a railroad, as contrasted with a branch or secondary one.
• Main Line
  Main Line

  noun

  a fashionable residential district west of Philadelphia.

main line

¹ American  

noun

1. a principal line or route of a railroad, as contrasted with a branch or secondary one.

2. a principal highway.

3. Slang.

   1. a prominent and readily accessible vein of the body that may be used for a narcotic's injection.

   2. the act of mainlining.

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Main Line ² American  

noun

1. a fashionable residential district west of Philadelphia.

2. any fashionable district where socially prominent people live.

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main line British  

noun

1. railways

   1. the trunk route between two points, usually fed by branch lines

   2. ( as modifier )

      a main-line station

2. a main road

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verb

1. slang (intr) to inject a drug into a vein

adjective

1. having an important position, esp having responsibility for the main areas of activity

Other Word Forms

• Main-Liner
  noun
• mainliner
  noun
• Main-Line
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of main line

First recorded in 1835–45

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

main line Main Line

Now it is leaning harder into those other lines of work, though its wine business is still its main line of business by far.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Rupireddy called Late Stage’s main line dozens of times, but he said no one answered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Warwickshire Police said its main line of inquiry was that a vehicle had hit the man and left the scene.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

Pike followed the main line — called the trunk line — which had hoses branching off in other directions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026

This divide-and-conquer strategy is better than repeatedly allowing counterexamples to intrude into the main line of an argument while browbeating readers into looking away.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

The proposal to add more trains on the West Coast Main Line would "likely increase delays and cancelled trains for passengers", the regulator said.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

In suburbs including Philadelphia’s Main Line, moms and dads are pleading with districts to rein in tech: “These electronics have ruined parenting.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

A suspected lightning strike also caused disruption on the West Coast Main Line near Runcorn, Network Rail said.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

There is major disruption to all West Coast Main Line railway services between Euston station and Watford Junction due to a fire in north London.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026

It’s on the prestigious Main Line, just twenty-five minutes outside Philadelphia, on a rolling campus surrounded by overgrown foliage.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

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Related Words

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