View synonyms for main

main

[ meyn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

chief in size, extent, or importance; principal; leading:
the company's main office;
the main features of a plan.
Synonyms: capital, primary, paramount, prime, cardinal
Antonyms: least, secondary
sheer; utmost, as strength or force:
to lift a stone by main force.
Synonyms: unqualified, pure
of or relating to a broad expanse:
main sea.
Grammar. syntactically independent; capable of use in isolation. Compare dependent ( def 4 ), independent ( def 14 ), main clause.
Nautical.
1. of or relating to a mainmast.
2. noting or pertaining to a sail, yard, boom, etc., or to any rigging belonging to a mainmast.
3. noting any stay running aft and upward to the head of a mainmast:
  main topmast stay.
Obsolete.
1. having or exerting great strength or force; mighty.
2. having momentous or important results; significant.

noun

a principal pipe or duct in a system used to distribute water, gas, etc.
Synonyms: conduit
physical strength, power, or force:
to struggle with might and main.
Synonyms: might
Antonyms: weakness
the chief or principal part or point:
The main of their investments was lost during the war.
Literary. the open ocean; high sea:
the bounding main.
the mainland.
Usually mains. a main course in a meal:
The restaurant offers four mains: one chicken, two beef, and one fish.

adverb

South Midland U.S. (chiefly Appalachian). very; exceedingly:
The dogs treed a main big coon.

verb (used with or without object)

Slang. mainline none.

main

[ meyn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a cockfighting match.

Main

[ meyn; German mahyn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a river in central and W Germany, flowing W from the Bohemian Forest in N Bavaria into the Rhine at Mainz. 305 miles (490 km) long.

Main

/ meɪn; main /

noun

a river in central and W Germany, flowing west through Würzburg and Frankfurt to the Rhine. Length: about 515 km (320 miles)

main

/ meɪn /

noun

a throw of the dice in dice games
a cockfighting contest
a match in archery, boxing, etc

main

/ meɪn /

adjective

chief or principal in rank, importance, size, etc
sheer or utmost (esp in the phrase by main force )
nautical of, relating to, or denoting any gear, such as a stay or sail, belonging to the mainmast
obsolete.
significant or important

noun

a principal pipe, conduit, duct, or line in a system used to distribute water, electricity, etc
plural
1. the main distribution network for water, gas, or electricity
2. ( as modifier )
  mains voltage
the chief or most important part or consideration
great strength or force (now chiefly in the phrase ( with ) might and main )
literary.
the open ocean
archaic.
short for Spanish Main
archaic.
short for mainland
in the main or for the main
on the whole; for the most part

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Word History and Origins

Origin of main¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun main(e), mayn(e) “strength, power,” Old English mægen, megen, cognate with Old Norse magn, megin, megn “strength”; Middle English adjective main(e), partly from Old Norse megin-, megn “strong,” partly from Old English noun mægen used in compounds, as in mægen-weorc “mighty work”

Origin of main²

First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain; perhaps special use of main ¹; compare main chance

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Word History and Origins

Origin of main¹

C16: of unknown origin

Origin of main²

C13: from Old English mægen strength

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

in the main, for the most part; chiefly:
In the main, the novel was dull reading.

More idioms and phrases containing main

eye to the main chance
in the main
might and main

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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