mainsail
noun
main·sail
| \ ˈmān-ˌsāl
, ˈmān(t)-səl
\
, ˈmān(t)-səl
\
Definition of mainsail
: the principal sail on the mainmast — see sail illustration
Examples of mainsail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The teens repeat the call, then rhythmically tug the line, slowly, steadily, raising the boat’s mainsail and boom, a combined weight of some 3,000 pounds. — Billboard, "Aboard the Clearwater: Five Decades of Environmental Activism Rooted In Music," 13 June 2018 Then came the big moment: The scow began to heel to one side, its mainsail dipping toward the water. — Simon Peter Groebner, chicagotribune.com, "Come sail away at this fun northern Minnesota resort on Lake Vermilion," 6 June 2018 On a two-sail boat like this one (called a sloop), the emphasis is on the mainsail (B), the sail nearer the stern (H), which is the rearmost or aft part of the boat. — Popular Mechanics, "The Beginner's Guide To Sailing," 18 May 2018 There was no Hard Rock Cafe, no Gaslamp Hilton, not even a San Diego Convention Center, the mainsail of the area's trade-show industry that opened in 1989. — Jeff Mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego hosts Super Bowl," 26 Jan. 2018 Two years ago Wild Oats shredded its mainsail in fierce winds while sailing down Australia's east coast in the Sydney-Hobart. — Euan Mckirdy, CNN, "Sydney-Hobart yacht race result overturned after protest," 28 Dec. 2017 New Donk City is Nintendo's gift to social media, the mainsail on the odd ship that is Super Mario Odyssey and kindling for wry Reddit jokes like this one. — Joshua Rivera, GQ, "Super Mario Odyssey," 1 Nov. 2017 The mainsail boom, itself a tree trunk almost as thick as the 12-story-high mainmast, is a varnished work of art as sun glints off the wood’s whorls and knots. — Brian J. Cantwell, The Seattle Times, "Taste some ales while you take a sail on classic schooner Zodiac on Bellingham Bay," 19 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mainsail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for mainsail
mainsail
noun
English Language Learners Definition of mainsail
: the largest sail of a sailing ship
See the full definition for mainsail in the English Language Learners Dictionary
mainsail
noun
main·sail
| \ ˈmān-ˌsāl
, -səl\
, -səl\
Kids Definition of mainsail
: the principal sail on the mainmast