1
as in mainlands
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weights
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 mains
The menu will feature snackable, shareable appetizers along with mains like sandwiches and weekly specials.
—
Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Last year’s alternate jerseys wouldn’t get any complaints from me if the Caps turned them into their mains.
—The Athletic Nhl Staff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Expect playful starters and elevated mains—black cod with red miso butter, tener wagyu steak frites with green peppercorn sauce, lobster malfadine in a rich tomato sauce, and the super flavorful pork belly sizzling rice.
—Chelsea Davis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The Charlie hides a 75-lb (34-kg) lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery in a compartment beneath its oven, which can charge from the 120V mains socket ubiquitous in the US.
—Ian Baker
august 26, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2025
When the water level dropped as a result, two village water mains and two sanitary force mains were uncovered.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
Pressure in some hillside fire hydrants fed by those mains dropped precipitously during the firestorm because so many hydrants were tapped at once.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2025
Next week, wintertime means slow cook stews, hearty mains, and project bakes.
—Bon Appétit, 15 Jan. 2025
There’s usually a creamy vegetable soup to start, and three choices of mains (meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes like rich risottos or spooling piles of noodles or pasta), plus moreish desserts like homemade strawberry ice cream, sticky toffee pudding, or turmeric lemon posset.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2024
Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Last year’s alternate jerseys wouldn’t get any complaints from me if the Caps turned them into their mains.
—The Athletic Nhl Staff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Expect playful starters and elevated mains—black cod with red miso butter, tener wagyu steak frites with green peppercorn sauce, lobster malfadine in a rich tomato sauce, and the super flavorful pork belly sizzling rice.
—Chelsea Davis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The Charlie hides a 75-lb (34-kg) lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery in a compartment beneath its oven, which can charge from the 120V mains socket ubiquitous in the US.
—Ian Baker
august 26, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2025
When the water level dropped as a result, two village water mains and two sanitary force mains were uncovered.
—Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
Pressure in some hillside fire hydrants fed by those mains dropped precipitously during the firestorm because so many hydrants were tapped at once.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2025
Next week, wintertime means slow cook stews, hearty mains, and project bakes.
—Bon Appétit, 15 Jan. 2025
There’s usually a creamy vegetable soup to start, and three choices of mains (meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes like rich risottos or spooling piles of noodles or pasta), plus moreish desserts like homemade strawberry ice cream, sticky toffee pudding, or turmeric lemon posset.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mains
Noun
-
The two mainlands themselves are only 55 miles apart where Alaska's Seward Peninsula and Russia's Chukotka Peninsula sit on opposite sides of the Bering Sea.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Many kitchen stores sell pie weights, oven-safe ceramic or metal balls that are used for this purpose.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
-
These items were then given individual weights for their effect on the total score.—
Jordan Green,
Nashville Tennessean,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Pennywise — the iconic, malevolent shapeshifting entity that often takes the form of a dancing clown and was first introduced in Stephen King's 1986 novel It — suddenly and mysteriously appeared on five different continents on Tuesday.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The model builds on a decade of global outreach that has touched multiple continents.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Moisture helps break up soil cores and promotes turf recovery after aeration.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Redevelopment in city cores will be costly, dangerous and prolonged.—
Shelly Culbertson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Any surviving gas giant planets could be responsible, with multi-planet interactions having possibly gradually destabilized orbits of smaller bodies over billions of years.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
There’s still plenty of time before Oscar nominations are announced — or before any major awards bodies weigh in.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Coming soon These two Brickell mall staples are reopening with new expansions in November.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Stock up your vanity with these staples, or get a jump-start on holiday shopping while deals last.—
Clara McMahon,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Townes-Whitley was one of three Black female Fortune 500 chiefs.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
-
In 1495 Columbus retaliated by assailing Taíno villages and capturing chiefs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Infused in cleansers, toners, and even essences, K-beauty’s exfoliating ingredients are often gentle and appear alongside hydrators to keep skin comfortable, while still delivering their brightening, smoothing, and resurfacing benefits.—
Deanna Pai,
Vogue,
14 Oct. 2025
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The songs pack a wide range of elements into a single track, starting with rock, pop, soul, funk, dub, club music, and rap, plus various other essences, from singer-songwriter-like qualities to music originating from Japan’s internet like Vocaloid.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mains. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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