main

¹

[ meyn ]

adjective

1. chief in size, extent, or importance; principal; leading:

   the company's main office;

   the main features of a plan.

   Synonyms: capital, primary, paramount, prime, cardinal

   Antonyms: least, secondary

2. sheer; utmost, as strength or force:

   to lift a stone by main force.

   Synonyms: unqualified, pure

3. of or relating to a broad expanse:

   main sea.

4. Grammar. syntactically independent; capable of use in isolation. Compare dependent ( def 4 ), independent ( def 14 ), main clause.
5. Nautical.
   1. of or relating to a mainmast.
   2. noting or pertaining to a sail, yard, boom, etc., or to any rigging belonging to a mainmast.
   3. noting any stay running aft and upward to the head of a mainmast:

      main topmast stay.

6. Obsolete.
   1. having or exerting great strength or force; mighty.
   2. having momentous or important results; significant.

noun

1. a principal pipe or duct in a system used to distribute water, gas, etc.

   Synonyms: conduit

2. physical strength, power, or force:

   to struggle with might and main.

   Synonyms: might

   Antonyms: weakness

3. the chief or principal part or point:

   The main of their investments was lost during the war.

4. Literary. the open ocean; high sea:

   the bounding main.

5. the mainland.
6. Usually mains. a main course in a meal:

   The restaurant offers four mains: one chicken, two beef, and one fish.

adverb

1. South Midland U.S. (chiefly Appalachian). very; exceedingly:

   The dogs treed a main big coon.

verb (used with or without object)

1. Slang. mainline none.

main

²

[ meyn ]

noun

1. a cockfighting match.

Main

³

[ meyn; German mahyn ]

noun

1. a river in central and W Germany, flowing W from the Bohemian Forest in N Bavaria into the Rhine at Mainz. 305 miles (490 km) long.

main

¹

/ meɪn /

noun

1. a throw of the dice in dice games
2. a cockfighting contest
3. a match in archery, boxing, etc

main

²

/ meɪn /

adjective

1. chief or principal in rank, importance, size, etc
2. sheer or utmost (esp in the phrase by main force )
3. nautical of, relating to, or denoting any gear, such as a stay or sail, belonging to the mainmast
4. obsolete.
   significant or important

noun

1. a principal pipe, conduit, duct, or line in a system used to distribute water, electricity, etc
2. plural
   1. the main distribution network for water, gas, or electricity
   2. ( as modifier )

      mains voltage

3. the chief or most important part or consideration
4. great strength or force (now chiefly in the phrase ( with ) might and main )
5. literary.
   the open ocean
6. See Spanish Main
   archaic.
   short for Spanish Main
7. See mainland
   archaic.
   short for mainland
8. in the main
   in the mainfor the main on the whole; for the most part

Main

³

/ meɪn; main /

noun

1. a river in central and W Germany, flowing west through Würzburg and Frankfurt to the Rhine. Length: about 515 km (320 miles)

Word History and Origins

Origin of main¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun main(e), mayn(e) “strength, power,” Old English mægen, megen, cognate with Old Norse magn, megin, megn “strength”; Middle English adjective main(e), partly from Old Norse megin-, megn “strong,” partly from Old English noun mægen used in compounds, as in mægen-weorc “mighty work”

Origin of main²

First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain; perhaps special use of main ¹; compare main chance

Word History and Origins

Origin of main¹

C16: of unknown origin

Origin of main²

C13: from Old English mægen strength

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the main, for the most part; chiefly:

   In the main, the novel was dull reading.

More idioms and phrases containing main

• eye to the main chance
• in the main
• might and main

Example Sentences

One of the main differences between them is that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two shots given several weeks apart, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single shot, which might be more appealing to some people.

From Washington Post

Though the neighborhood’s main commercial corridor along Roosevelt Road was still thriving, a growing number of homes and buildings in the ward had been neglected or divided up into crowded apartments.

From ProPublica

They’re trying to figure out the limitations of assembly-line production workers and kind of early on they think fatigue is the main limitation.

From Freakonomics

The main way it’s spread is by the air, either by larger droplets via close contact, or by smaller droplets called aerosols.

From Popular-Science

It comes with four different side compartments to fit smaller essentials as well as a main area for clothing, shoes, a laptop, and other larger items.

From Popular-Science

Flesh encircled him at the main pool of the Paradise Hotel and Residences at Boca.

From The Daily Beast

They even switched off their location service—one of the main perks of the program.

From The Daily Beast

At the same time, the heaviest parts—the main fuselage, the engines and wings—sink to the bottom.

From The Daily Beast

In his statement, Rigi named Naser Boledi as a main mediator between him and representatives of NATO.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes, they had a backup aim if their main goal fell through as the night dragged on.

From The Daily Beast

A second main division of our schooling was mathematical instruction of a sort.

From Project Gutenberg

To-day I have stood in the main battery which has fired a shot establishing, in its way, a record in the annals of destruction.

From Project Gutenberg

The main entrance is in the centre of the St. Martin's Lane front, and consists of a central roadway for carts and wagons, 15ft.

From Project Gutenberg

The percentage of gold to the notes—the main demand liability—has, of course, fallen from about 65 to 35 per cent.

From Project Gutenberg

When a leaf is so young that it wraps itself around the main stalk it's useless to try to turn it over.

From Project Gutenberg