main

[ meyn ]

/ meɪn /

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adjective

chief in size, extent, or importance;principal; leading: the company's main office; the main features of a plan.

sheer; utmost, as strength or force: to lift a stone by main force.

of or relating to a broad expanse: main sea.

Grammar. syntactically independent; capable of use in isolation.Compare dependent (def. 4), independent (def. 14), main clause.

Nautical.

of or relating to a mainmast.
noting or pertaining to a sail, yard, boom, etc., or to any rigging belonging to a mainmast.
noting any stay running aft and upward to the head of a mainmast: main topmast stay.

Obsolete.

having or exerting great strength or force; mighty.
having momentous or important results; significant.

noun

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

physical strength, power, or force: to struggle with might and main.

the chief or principal part or point: The main of their investments was lost during the war.

Literary. the open ocean; high sea: the bounding main.

the mainland.

Usually mains . a main course in a meal: The restaurant offers four mains: one chicken, two beef, and one fish.

adverb

South Midland U.S. (chiefly Appalachian). very; exceedingly: The dogs treed a main big coon.

verb (used with or without object)

Slang. mainline.

OTHER WORDS FOR main

1 cardinal, prime, paramount, primary, capital.

2 pure, unqualified.

7 conduit.

8 might.

See synonyms for main on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR main

1 secondary, least.

8 weakness.

See antonyms for main on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about main

in the main, for the most part; chiefly: In the main, the novel was dull reading.

Origin of main

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”

Other definitions for main (2 of 3)

main²

[ meyn ]

/ meɪn /

noun

a cockfighting match.

Origin of main

First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain; perhaps special use of main¹; compare main chance

Other definitions for main (3 of 3)

Main

[ meyn; German mahyn ]

/ meɪn; German maɪn /

noun

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use main in a sentence

Without a supplier for the holiday meal’s main course, Ames felt as though she was letting down 600 families.
‘Can’t eat a gift card’: Rural food banks fight to put turkeys on the table|Kyle Swenson|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
The main argument for allowing trophy or ivory hunting is that it raises money for conservation and local communities.
Can artificial intelligence give elephants a winning edge?|Walter Thompson|November 20, 2020|TechCrunch
Vs us who want to treat the main reasons of returns rather than treating the symptoms.
Neatsy wants to reduce sneaker returns with 3D foot scans|Natasha Lomas|November 20, 2020|TechCrunch
Unlike many types of furniture, a door only has one main type of joinery—the mortise and tenon joint.
Build your own door and ascend to a higher level of DIY|Courtney Starr|November 20, 2020|Popular-Science

No reservations are required for RV parking—it’s first come, first served—but there is a $15 fee per night, and you’ll need to fill out registration paperwork at the main lodging check-in.
10 Ski Areas Where You Can Camp in the Parking Lot|Megan Michelson|November 20, 2020|Outside Online
"The maining's as plain as a pike-staff, your honour," replied the Irish watchman, to whom we have already introduced the reader.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 21|Alexander Leighton

British Dictionary definitions for main (1 of 3)

main¹

/ (meɪn) /

adjective (prenominal)

chief or principal in rank, importance, size, etc

sheer or utmost (esp in the phrase by main force)

nautical of, relating to, or denoting any gear, such as a stay or sail, belonging to the mainmast

obsolete significant or important

noun

a principal pipe, conduit, duct, or line in a system used to distribute water, electricity, etc

(plural)

the main distribution network for water, gas, or electricity
(as modifier)mains voltage

the chief or most important part or consideration

great strength or force (now chiefly in the phrase (with) might and main)

literary the open ocean

archaic short for Spanish Main

archaic short for mainland

in the main or for the main on the whole; for the most part

Word Origin for main

C13: from Old English mægen strength

British Dictionary definitions for main (2 of 3)

main²

/ (meɪn) /

noun

a throw of the dice in dice games

a cockfighting contest

a match in archery, boxing, etc

Word Origin for main

C16: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for main (3 of 3)

Main

/ (meɪn, German main) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with main

main

In addition to the idioms beginning with main

main drag
main squeeze

also see:

eye to the main chance
in the main
might and main

main

OTHER WORDS FOR main

OPPOSITES FOR main

Idioms about main

Origin of main

Other definitions for main (2 of 3)

Origin of main

Other definitions for main (3 of 3)

Words related to main

How to use main in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for main (1 of 3)

Word Origin for main

British Dictionary definitions for main (2 of 3)

Word Origin for main

British Dictionary definitions for main (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with main