mainly
Americanadverb
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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.
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Obsolete. greatly; mightily; abundantly.
adverb
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for the most part; to the greatest extent; principally
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obsolete strongly; very much
Etymology
Origin of mainly
First recorded in 1225–75, mainly is from the Middle English word maynliche, maynly. See main 1, -ly
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.
The list is mainly made up of personalities from news, sport and radio - led by former Radio 2 breakfast host Scott Mills.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
A few years ago, Ubisoft announced they were shutting down “The Crew,” a 2014 racing game that requires a constant internet connection despite being mainly a single-player game.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
The country’s once vaunted air defense, mainly built to defend against ballistic missiles and crewed aircraft, is increasingly being overwhelmed by Ukraine’s drone armada.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
The same categorization task was now being handled mainly by the temporal cortex, a region involved in memory and recognizing complex objects.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
While Johnson leaned over the table to look, McNamara pointed out potential targets for an American air strike, mainly North Vietnamese torpedo boat bases along the coast.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
