mainspring
Americannoun
-
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.
The Fountain’s tradition of extending a wide communal embrace, welcoming underrepresented voices and addressing urgent social concerns, is clearly going to be a mainspring of Caldwell’s leadership.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025
The question of appropriation is the editorial mainspring of “The Dolphin Letters.”
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 9, 2019
This was the mainspring of the anti-liberal revolt in the region.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 24, 2019
The mainspring of this imagined future clash is not race and slavery, but science and the environment.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 3, 2017
“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
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
