mainsail

noun

main·​sail ˈmān-ˌsāl  ˈmān(t)-səl 

: the principal sail on the mainmast see sail illustration

Examples of mainsail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even the most inspiring sea captains who command luxurious yachts across picturesque waters have to worry about employees who don’t hoist their share of the mainsail. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2024

The crew shut down the electronics and hauled in the mainsail. —Tomas Weber, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024

Thanks to the hydraulics system, the mainsail can be hoisted and lowered on a wireless remote control. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2024

The electric motor, which usually lifts the mainsail into place, had malfunctioned. —Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022

The vessel is also equipped with a boom-less rig and sizable mainsail that pulls in even more power from the wind. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2022

In addition, the cat is equipped with twin 225 hp engines and a 1,722-square-foot mainsail that harnesses additional power from the wind for greater efficiency and fewer emissions. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2021

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. —Caleb Paine, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021

At the tip of Shelter Island, several hundred dignitaries and well-wishers applauded when Sharon, dressed in pink and looking very dainty, hauled down the mainsail of her craft, furled it and docked with an ease no mail sailor could fault. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2019

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mainsail

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

mainsail

noun

main·​sail ˈmān-ˌsāl  ˈmān(t)-səl 

: the principal sail on the mainmast