noun
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nautical the forestay that braces the mainmast
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a chief support
Etymology
Origin of mainstay
Explanation
A mainstay is something that acts as a source of support for a community. If your hometown's economy depends on tourists visiting every summer, you could say that tourism is the mainstay of your town. A mainstay holds everything together, whether it's your grandmother who acts as the anchor of your whole crazy family, a pillar that physically keeps a building from falling down, or the job that enables you to pay your rent every month. The noun mainstay is originally a nautical term meaning the rope that stabilizes two masts on a sailboat, and since the 1780s it's been used to mean "chief support."
Vocabulary lists containing mainstay
Beowulf
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This Week In Culture: October 5–11, 2019
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Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
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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 2027 and 2028 Oscars will also be the last two ceremonies held at the Dolby Theatre after more than a quarter century at the Hollywood mainstay.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
The Chrysler 300C sedan of the 2000s became a mainstay in hip-hop videos.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Meanwhile, the casualties of war include mainstay growth stock funds.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Troubled singer-songwriters are a mainstay in the mythology of American roots music.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Owners no longer had the economic clout of being a mainstay of the economy.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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.
