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
Mark Twain3
: 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
Synonyms
Noun
Adjective
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!
Recent Examples on the WebKylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024
Pair the meaty mains with spiced cracklins—crisped, fatty pork skin—and cornbread.
—Kayla Stewart, Bon Appétit, 23 Feb. 2024
The current menu is divided between morning and noon mains and pastries with an extensive beverage menu of coffee and tea, beer and cider, wine, cocktails and mocktails.
—The Arizona Republic, 19 Feb. 2024
Highlights from the Valentine’s menu include a starter of Roasted Beet Salad, Chicory Salad or Oysters; a main of Mushroom Risotto, Bucatini Amatriciana, or Steelhead Trout; and dessert choice of Churros or Ice Cream Sundae, both featuring Happy Endings chocolate from Alice Mushrooms.
—Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
The tender and juicy-looking main has been a crowd pleaser among her own family and friends, Garten said.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
Larger mains encompass octopus, scallops, and coho salmon on the seafood side, and steak, duck, and pork on the meat side.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2024
Several videos also showed burst mains outside in freezing temperatures, with water sprouting onto the streets, forming thick steam clouds.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2024
The water transmission main is expected to be repaired and back in service by the middle of next week.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 29 Jan. 2024
Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
Even your main competitor, Genomic Prediction, only does arrays of embryos, looking for specific things.
—Jason Kehe, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024
Work started Tuesday on the athletic fields and main school building at the former Broad Ripple High School to prepare the campus's transition to a middle school for next school year.
—Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Searching for her son's body The city's main hospital, the Nasser Medical Complex, now stands empty.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Johnson appeared on both nights of the two-evening program, wrestling on Saturday—defeating Cody Rhodes—and attempting to interfere in the next night’s main event, where Rhodes faced Roman Reigns.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and longtime fixer, is expected to be prosecutors’ main witness.
—Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Another main muse for this collection and every collection is the designer’s mother who loved fashion and style.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
This paved road connects the two main entrances of the park — Grand Lake and Estes Park — showcasing the visual wonder of Rocky Mountain National Park.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Noun
The Great Lakes Water Authority has isolated a break in a water transmission main in Northville that occurred early Friday morning.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024
Pair the meaty mains with spiced cracklins—crisped, fatty pork skin—and cornbread.
—Kayla Stewart, Bon Appétit, 23 Feb. 2024
The current menu is divided between morning and noon mains and pastries with an extensive beverage menu of coffee and tea, beer and cider, wine, cocktails and mocktails.
—The Arizona Republic, 19 Feb. 2024
Highlights from the Valentine’s menu include a starter of Roasted Beet Salad, Chicory Salad or Oysters; a main of Mushroom Risotto, Bucatini Amatriciana, or Steelhead Trout; and dessert choice of Churros or Ice Cream Sundae, both featuring Happy Endings chocolate from Alice Mushrooms.
—Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
The tender and juicy-looking main has been a crowd pleaser among her own family and friends, Garten said.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
Larger mains encompass octopus, scallops, and coho salmon on the seafood side, and steak, duck, and pork on the meat side.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2024
Several videos also showed burst mains outside in freezing temperatures, with water sprouting onto the streets, forming thick steam clouds.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2024
The water transmission main is expected to be repaired and back in service by the middle of next week.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 29 Jan. 2024
Adjective
The fest’s main competition will be announced tomorrow.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
Even your main competitor, Genomic Prediction, only does arrays of embryos, looking for specific things.
—Jason Kehe, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024
Work started Tuesday on the athletic fields and main school building at the former Broad Ripple High School to prepare the campus's transition to a middle school for next school year.
—Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Searching for her son's body The city's main hospital, the Nasser Medical Complex, now stands empty.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Johnson appeared on both nights of the two-evening program, wrestling on Saturday—defeating Cody Rhodes—and attempting to interfere in the next night’s main event, where Rhodes faced Roman Reigns.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and longtime fixer, is expected to be prosecutors’ main witness.
—Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Another main muse for this collection and every collection is the designer’s mother who loved fashion and style.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
This paved road connects the two main entrances of the park — Grand Lake and Estes Park — showcasing the visual wonder of Rocky Mountain National Park.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'main.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near main
Cite this Entry
“Main.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/main. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
main
2 of 2 adjective1
: chief entry 1 sense 2, principal
the main idea
2
: pure sense 3, sheer
by main force
3
: being a clause that is capable of standing alone as a simple sentence but is part of a larger sentence that includes a subordinate clause or another main clause
mainly
adverb
Geographical Definition
Main
geographical name
ˈmīn 
ˈmān
river 325 miles (523 kilometers) long in south central Germany rising in northern Bavaria in the Fichtelgebirge and flowing west into the Rhine River
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