Meaning

A chief support..

Definitions by Sense

1. A chief support.
2. Someone or something that can be depended on to make a regular contribution.
3. (nautical) A stabilising rope from high on the mainmast to the base of the foremast.

Example Sentences

Agriculture is the mainstay of this country’s economy.

At the other extreme, we have that true maid-of-all-work type, the 0-6-0, the mainstay of goods, shunting, and often of passenger work right from the earliest days to the present time.

As with most other railways, freight revenue is the mainstay of the balance sheet. In Canada, passenger revenue is only about one-tenth that of freight.

Oil is the mainstay of Nigeria's economy.

Conventional radiography has a major role in, and remains the mainstay of, initial evaluation and follow-up of rheumatologic disease.

On the Bishops Stortford line, the crisis now seems to be over; the units designed for this service are the mainstay of the workings once again and although some of the inner suburban sets are still seen, very few L.T.S. Line units are noticeable.

Afternoon TV mainstays like Leila Benitez and Bobby Ledesma of Darigold Jamboree gradually gave way to teenage loveteams Vi and Bot and Guy and Pip who had legions of fans watching their shows and movies and listening to their records.

Like show dogs, dog actors became a mainstay in European and American contexts from the early nineteenth century with the convergence of public sentiment for dogs and popular interest in training them.

Word Forms

• mainstays

Synonyms for mainstay

Related Words

When Should You Use Mainstay?

Use mainstay when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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