mainlined; mainlining; mainlines
slang
: to take by or as if by injecting into a principal vein
slang
: to mainline a narcotic drug
: being part of an established group
also
: being in the mainstream
1
: a principal highway or railroad line
2
slang
: a principal vein of the circulatory system
Examples of mainline in a Sentence
Verb
His addiction grew worse when he began mainlining.
Recent Examples on the Web
Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Even those who are not specifically mainlining these clips may suffer from an algorithmic selection bias: the more interest a person has in the recent plane malfunctions, the more likely that person might be to see more stories and commentary about planes in general.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mainline 
Verb
With a month or so in which to mainline asparagus, there’s no need to worry about tomatoes or zucchini.
—Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Even those who are not specifically mainlining these clips may suffer from an algorithmic selection bias: the more interest a person has in the recent plane malfunctions, the more likely that person might be to see more stories and commentary about planes in general.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mainline
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mainline.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mainline
Cite this Entry
“Mainline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainline. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
mainline
1 of 2 verb
main·line
ˈmān-ˈlīn 
mainlined; mainlining
slang
: to take by or as if by injecting into a principal vein
slang
: to mainline a narcotic drug (as heroin)
main line
2 of 2 noun
slang
: a principal vein of the circulatory system
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