mainstay

noun

main·​stay ˈmān-ˌstā 

plural mainstays

1

a

: a crucial or key part of something

Fish is the mainstay of their diet.

Tourism is a mainstay of the city's economy.

The mainstay of treatment for chronic hives of unknown origin is antihistamine medications.

—Mayo Clinic Health Letter

b

: someone or something that is a principal or reliable support or resource

Tourism is one of the city's economic mainstays.

Her immense pride in him and unquestioning support were among the few mainstays in his life.

—Robert V. Remini

2

: a ship's stay (see stay entry 1 sense 1) extending from the maintop forward usually to the foot of the foremast

Synonyms

• anchor
• buttress
• dependence
• dependance
• pillar
• reliance
• standby

Examples of mainstay in a Sentence

Fish is a mainstay of their diet.

My mother has always been the mainstay of our family.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, after leaving Wednesday’s Champions League game with an apparent knee injury, mainstay John Stones will be out for the foreseeable future – leaving another hole in a once solid and coherent wall. Offensively, Arne Slot’s side leads the league with 60 goals ahead of City’s 52. —Julia Ranney, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025

As a Green Book mainstay, the business at 212-214 E. 16th St. operated as the Jacobs Cleaners Building under owner Meyer O. Jacobs. —Justin L. MacK, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025

Farewell, Home Button, a mainstay of the iPhone range since 2007. —David Phelan, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Ubuntu doesn't ship with any sort of AI voice feature, a mainstay on modern operating systems. —PCMAG, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for mainstay

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

mainstay

noun

main·​stay -ˌstā 

1

: a large strong rope running from the maintop of a ship usually to the foot of the foremast

2

: a chief support

the mainstay of the family