1 main | Definition of main
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

main

noun
\ ˈmān How to pronounce main (audio) \

Definition of main

 (Entry 1 of 3)

1 : physical strength : force —used in the phrase with might and main The next instant we were away down the river, clawing with might and main to keep out of the woods.— Mark Twain
2a : mainland
b : high sea
3 : the chief part : essential point they are in the main well-trained
4 : a pipe, duct, or circuit which carries the combined flow of tributary branches of a utility system
5a : mainmast
b : mainsail

main

adjective

Definition of main (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : chief, principal the main idea
2 : fully exerted : sheer main force by main strength
3 obsolete : of or relating to a broad expanse (as of sea)
4 : connected with or located near the mainmast or mainsail
5 : expressing the chief predication in a complex sentence the main clause

Main

geographical name
\ ˈmīn How to pronounce Main (audio) , ˈmān\

Definition of Main (Entry 3 of 3)

river 325 miles (523 kilometers) long in south central Germany rising in northern Bavaria in the Fichtelgebirge and flowing west into the Rhine River
Other Words from main Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about main

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of main in a Sentence

Noun

 My radio runs either off batteries or off the mains. Turn off the water at the mains.

Adjective

 Speed is the main advantage of this approach. The company's main office is located in New York. driving down the main road This dish can be served as a main course or appetizer. And now for the main event of the evening!
See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 For divergence, Baraghani points out Sofreh in Brooklyn; Nasim Alikhani opened the restaurant last year; the mains on her menu lean toward stews and dishes such as chicken served in plum and saffron sauce. — Los Angeles Times, "Two Iranian American food writers talk Persian restaurant menus and home cooking," 10 Aug. 2019 If Columbia Gas had upgraded your street, your gas main would be running at well above 0.5 psi. — Nathaniel Penn, Popular Mechanics, "The Day the Town Blew Up," 3 June 2019 Sketches are delivered, petites mains are stitching about, and Lagerfeld is watching over it all with a discerning eye, signing off on each couture creation. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Watch the Trailer for 7 Days Out, the New Netflix Series That Goes Inside a Chanel Couture Show and Other Landmark Events," 11 Dec. 2018 An explosion rocked the city of Sun Prairie, Wis., on Tuesday after a contractor struck a natural gas main, leveling buildings and injuring at least two firefighters and one police officer, authorities said. — Nicole Darrah, Fox News, "Wisconsin gas explosion levels Main Street buildings; firefighters, police officer reported injured," 2 Oct. 2018 Buy Photo The Philadelphia Water Department says breaks in 48-inch mains — like one that flooded Center City on Tuesday — are rare, but not unheard of. — Joseph A. Gambardello, Philly.com, "Recent 48-inch water main breaks in Philadelphia," 3 July 2018 Water service was off for two dozen customers after a 6-inch main broke Thursday in DeKalb County, officials said. — Chelsea Prince, ajc, "DeKalb water main fixed after earlier break cut service for dozens," 28 June 2018 In either case, the gas main would cross more than 200 separate parcels of land. — Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "We Energies plans 49-mile, $187 million gas pipeline to station near Foxconn site," 21 May 2018 In terms of craft, is there a meaningful comparison to be made between the petites mains of the couture houses and the embroiderers of the Vatican? — Jason Farago, New York Times, "A Trinity of Opinions on the Met’s ‘Heavenly Bodies’," 20 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

 The main point is this is detracting from his greatness. — Peter Nicholas, The Atlantic, "The End of the Golden Era of Chess," 5 Sep. 2019 The Breakthrough Prize, currently in its eighth year, has three main prizes: in Fundamental Physics, in Life Sciences and in Mathematics. — Leah Asmelash, CNN, "They brought us the first photo of a black hole. Now, it won them $3 million," 5 Sep. 2019 One of the main federal programs helping seniors is starved for money. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Starving seniors: America is failing to feed its aging citizens, which is costly to them and to everyone else," 5 Sep. 2019 Instead, Trump was the main target—a change likely due to a couple of factors. — Mark K. Matthews, Scientific American, "Seven Takeaways from the Democratic Climate Marathon," 5 Sep. 2019 Thirty-four-year-old Jensen Burrows lives in Freeport, the main city on Grand Bahama, an island in northwest Bahamas that is roughly 85 miles off the Florida coast. — Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville high school grad rescued Hurricane Dorian victims in the Bahamas on watercraft," 5 Sep. 2019 Which brings us to the obvious but important detail that one of Biden’s main selling points is a gauzy nostalgia for the Obama era. — Ted Scheinman, The New Republic, "The Historical Amnesia of Joe Biden’s Candidacy," 5 Sep. 2019 One of the main statistics that hung in my mind is that 95% of people who are in prison are going to get out some day. —

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!