main line
noun
a principal line or route of a railroad, as contrasted with a branch or secondary one.
main line
1 Americannoun
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a principal line or route of a railroad, as contrasted with a branch or secondary one.
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a principal highway.
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Slang.
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a prominent and readily accessible vein of the body that may be used for a narcotic's injection.
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the act of mainlining.
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Main Line
2
American
noun
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a fashionable residential district west of Philadelphia.
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any fashionable district where socially prominent people live.
main line
British
noun
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railways
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the trunk route between two points, usually fed by branch lines
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( as modifier )
a main-line station
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a main road
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of main line
First recorded in 1835–45
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:
Rupireddy called Late Stage’s main line dozens of times, but he said no one answered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
A government source said the upgrade would "rocket boost connectivity on every main line train in Britain over the next few years, tackling both slow speeds and irritating not-spots".
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
A message The Associated Press left on the city’s Law Department main line seeking comment Monday wasn’t immediately returned.
From Seattle Times ● May 27, 2024
They are the ship's main line of defence.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024
We could avoid the main line of the retreat by keeping to the secondary roads beyond Udine.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
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
Under current plans, HS2 trains will travel from Birmingham to Manchester, but at reduced speed on the existing West Coast Main Line.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 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
Cardinale grew up in Villanova, Penn., an affluent suburb on Philadelphia’s Main Line, and attended The Haverford School, an all-boys prep school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 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
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.
