Main

/meɪn/ · adjective

Meaning

Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal..

Definitions by Sense

1. Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
2. Chief, most important, or principal in extent, size, or strength; consisting of the largest part.
3. (archaic, of force, strength, etc.) Full, sheer, undivided.
4. (dialectal) Big; angry.
5. (nautical) Belonging to or connected with the principal mast in a vessel.
6. (obsolete) Great in size or degree; important, powerful, strong, vast.
7. (British, dialectal) Exceedingly, extremely, greatly, mightily, very, very much.
8. (transitive, slang) Ellipsis of mainline (“to inject (a drug) directly into a vein”).

Example Sentences

The main office is actually one of the smaller rooms.

Religion direct us rather to ſecure inward peace than outward eaſe, to be more careful to avoid everlaſting and intolerable torment than ſhort and light afflictions which are but for a moment; […] In a word, our main intereſt is to be as happy as we can, and as long as is poſſible; and if we be caſt into ſuch circumſtances, that we muſt be either in part and for a time or elſe wholly and always miſerable, the beſt wiſdom is to chuſe the greateſt and moſt laſting happiness, but the leaſt and ſhorteſt miſery.

With some of it on the south and more of it on the north of the great main thoroughfare that connects Aldgate and the East India Docks, St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London.

By one o'clock the place was choc-a-bloc. […] The restaurant was packed, and the promenade between the two main courts and the subsidiary courts was thronged with healthy-looking youngish people, drawn to the Mecca of tennis from all parts of the country.

main timbers

main branch of a river

main body of an army

Not uninvented that, which thou aright / Beleivſt ſo main to our ſucceſs, I bring; […]

Synonyms for main

Antonyms for main

Related Words

Word Forms

• more main
• most main
• mains
• maining
• mained

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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