mainly

[meyn-lee]

adverb

1. chiefly; principally; for the most part; in the main; to the greatest extent.

   Our success was due mainly to your efforts. The audience consisted mainly of students.

2. Obsolete.,  greatly; mightily; abundantly.

mainly

/ ˈmeɪnlɪ /

adverb

1. for the most part; to the greatest extent; principally

2. obsolete,  strongly; very much

Word History and Origins

Origin of mainly¹

First recorded in 1225–75, mainly is from the Middle English word maynliche, maynly. See main ¹, -ly

Example Sentences

Food that is past its expiry date is sometimes served, she told us, and meals often lack fruit and vegetables, and contain mainly heavy carbohydrates such as bread, chips and rice.

From BBC

The sales volume of milk alternatives has started to decline, mainly driven by lower consumption in the Americas.

From BBC

The solid mass weighed as much as eight double-decker buses and consisted mainly of wet wipes held together by fat, oil and grease.

From BBC

Arizona were even worse as they blew a 21-3 lead mainly thanks to two huge mistakes.

From BBC

A group, mainly clad in black, were led away from the ground at about 18:30 BST - more than 90 minutes after the match had finished.

From BBC