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.
It also stipulates that if beans or pulses form the protein part of a main course, another vegetable must be available.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
I enjoyed it all but the main course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
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
Before anyone has tasted the main course, you’ve already made them feel hosted.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
What happened was simply this: at 8:23 and five seconds, the main course of the evening was ready for serving.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
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.
