as in primary
coming before all others in importance
this is the main point of the study—everything else is secondary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in power
muscular strength
all their might and main could not budge the stalled car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in continent
one of the great divisions of land on the globe or the main part of such a division
islanders periodically traveled back to the main for supplies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in core
the main or greater part of something as distinguished from its subordinate parts
the main of the tree is still healthy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of main
Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 18 Jan. 2025
Buzz about a possible rift with the film's star Blake Lively reached a fever pitch when Lively appeared to pose alongside all of her main costars, including Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate, while Baldoni walked the red carpet with his wife Emily and his family at the New York premiere on Aug. 6.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
New Atlas, 19 Dec. 2024
Diners can enjoy creative dishes of sushi, such as salmon nigiri, alongside other mains like spicy beef yaki udon and seafood yaki soba.
—Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for main 
Adjective
In previous statements issued through Will Gregory Public Relations — which no longer represents Jingle — McKee alleged that missing funds at Jingle were largely attributable to a three-week delay in the arrival of a portable ice rink, one of the Christmas village’s main features.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 18 Jan. 2025
Buzz about a possible rift with the film's star Blake Lively reached a fever pitch when Lively appeared to pose alongside all of her main costars, including Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate, while Baldoni walked the red carpet with his wife Emily and his family at the New York premiere on Aug. 6.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Noun
Charging Without Limits: Turbo-Charged and Solar-Powered The Handsfree backpack power station can power up quickly and efficiently via mains, solar, battery, or vehicle.
—New Atlas, 19 Dec. 2024
Diners can enjoy creative dishes of sushi, such as salmon nigiri, alongside other mains like spicy beef yaki udon and seafood yaki soba.
—Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for main
Recent Examples of Synonyms for main
Adjective
-
Houston’s primary return in the Pressly trade would be salary relief and some flexibility for other acquisitions.—
Sahadev Sharma,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Testers consider performance across four primary categories: efficacy, safety (including ease of use), research and the science behind specific claims, as well as product value.—
Jenny Berg,
Allure,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The power of PileMate in Sag Harbor is prominent, especially in wintertime.—
Lauren Carpenter,
USA TODAY,
18 Jan. 2025
-
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power that it may be forced to cut off power supply—with outages potentially lasting as long as 48 hours—in certain areas as a safety measure to prevent wildfires while the Red Flag Warning remained in effect.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The program has already educated and inspired 100 ambassadors from 6 continents and, most importantly, is building a community.—
Doug Melville,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
-
The 10 cities with the most Instagrammed sunrises in the world The most popular cities for sunrise content span five continents Start Slideshow Start Slideshow There’s nothing quite like pausing and taking in the sunrise.—
Madeline Fitzgerald,
Quartz,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Your hands should be under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, with your back flat and your core engaged.—
Emma Yasinski,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Financial success and core values can go hand in hand.—
Goro Gupta,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
In 2000, Smithfield Foods, the state’s predominant producer of hogs, agreed to pay $1 per hog produced in the state — for a total of up to $2 million — into a fund, with part of that money used to research more environmentally friendly ways of handling hog waste.—
Gavin Off,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Still, the predominant thought was his interview was a push by the Bears to fulfill the NFL’s Rooney Rule as the team positions itself to make a head coaching hire.—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
This practice activates the diaphragm, which is a muscle that sits between the lungs and the abdomen.—
Angela Ryan Lee,
Verywell Health,
16 Jan. 2025
-
This is caused by a muscle that runs from the pelvis to the outside of your lower leg being tight and rubbing on the bone on the outside of your hip.—
Harlan Selesnick,
Miami Herald,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Last month, Cyclone Chido claimed the lives of more than 100 people in Mozambique and Malawi after devastating the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte and making landfall on mainland Africa.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Despite this, mainland China’s benchmark CSI 300 fell 0.27% to 3,722.51, extending losses after having closed at its lowest level since September 2024 on Friday.—
Hakyung Kim,Brian Evans,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The results showed that Pilates can significantly lower body weight, body mass index (BMI, a measure of body fat based on height and weight), and body fat percentage in adults who are overweight or obese.—
Sarah Jividen,
Verywell Health,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Every stair-climber, treadmill, and mat is occupied by a glistening body, each person sweating and trying to catch their breath.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near main
Cite this Entry
“Main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/main. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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