mainspring
Americannoun
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the principal spring in a mechanism, as in a watch.
-
the chief motive power; the impelling cause.
noun
-
the principal power spring of a mechanism, esp in a watch or clock
-
the chief cause or motive of something
Etymology
Origin of mainspring
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.
Its hairspring, mainspring, ruby bearings and a few other parts were sourced from Switzerland.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2023
The mainspring of this imagined future clash is not race and slavery, but science and the environment.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 3, 2017
It is the emotional mainspring of extraordinary reserves.
From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2015
The young joke-riffing men of “Knocked Up” yield to their lowest impulses, which are the very mainspring of the setup.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 5, 2015
“It’s how my father taught me. If I don’t wind it consistently, it won’t keep time as well. And if I overwind it, the mainspring might break.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
