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
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
Robert V. Remini2
: a ship's stay (see stay entry 1 sense 1) extending from the maintop forward usually to the foot of the foremast
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
The group became mainstays of the New Jack Swing movement, blending R&B, jazz and traces of gospel melodies.
—Jonathan Landrum Jr., Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
What’s required are smaller, leaner, and more agile publishers that focus on the mid-tier budgets that were the mainstay of the PlayStation 2 era, before the AAA nightmare derailed everything.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Put down the pots and pans Fresh vegetables, primarily peppers and tomatoes, are a mainstay in the Balkan breakfast, which is good news on the fiber front.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2025
The Focus Features release, which first hit theaters on October 25, 2024, has since been a mainstay in theaters, making nearly $100 million worldwide.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainstay
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Jonathan Landrum Jr., Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
What’s required are smaller, leaner, and more agile publishers that focus on the mid-tier budgets that were the mainstay of the PlayStation 2 era, before the AAA nightmare derailed everything.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Put down the pots and pans Fresh vegetables, primarily peppers and tomatoes, are a mainstay in the Balkan breakfast, which is good news on the fiber front.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2025
The Focus Features release, which first hit theaters on October 25, 2024, has since been a mainstay in theaters, making nearly $100 million worldwide.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainstay
Cite this Entry
“Mainstay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainstay. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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