Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

mainstay

American  
[meyn-stey] / ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ /

noun

  1. Nautical. the stay that secures the mainmast forward.

  2. a person or thing that acts as a chief support or part.

    Coffee is the mainstay of the country's economy.
    Synonyms:
    prop, anchor, bulwark, pillar
mainstay British  
/ ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ /

noun

  1. nautical the forestay that braces the mainmast

  2. a chief support

"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

Etymology

Origin of mainstay

First recorded in 1475–85; main 1 + stay 2

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 mainstay U.S. employment report is finally back on track.

From MarketWatch

The mainstay U.S. employment report is finally back on track.

From MarketWatch

Information from company insiders, a mainstay of many reporting projects, is illegal for Hunterbrook or any other investor to trade on.

From The Wall Street Journal

The track was first released in December 1973 by the Wolverhampton band but has become a mainstay on festive playlists, often re-entering the UK singles chart in the run-up to Christmas.

From BBC

Or so says Delilah, the popular radio host who considers Bublé a mainstay of her Christmas season programming.

From MarketWatch

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.