mainsail
noun
main·sail
ˈmān-ˌsāl 
ˈmān(t)-səl
ˈmān(t)-səl
: the principal sail on the mainmast see sail illustration
Examples of mainsail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From Ocean Swell to Living-Room Calm Industrial designer Roey Pan sketched the first arc aboard a 27-ft sloop, tracing the way a mainsail breathes with the wind.
—
Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
The rig itself reflects the yard’s racing DNA, with a 78-foot Hall Spars carbon mast, a square-top mainsail of nearly 1,300 square feet, a gennaker of roughly 3,500 square feet, Harken Racing GP winches, and hydraulic transverse jib tracks.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 23 June 2025
In one instance, while 15 miles out to sea, the boat's mast spar broke and sent the mainsail toppling down.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025
Even the most inspiring sea captains who command luxurious yachts across picturesque waters have to worry about employees who don’t hoist their share of the mainsail.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2024
The crew shut down the electronics and hauled in the mainsail.
—Tomas Weber, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024
The electric motor, which usually lifts the mainsail into place, had malfunctioned.
—Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022
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Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
The rig itself reflects the yard’s racing DNA, with a 78-foot Hall Spars carbon mast, a square-top mainsail of nearly 1,300 square feet, a gennaker of roughly 3,500 square feet, Harken Racing GP winches, and hydraulic transverse jib tracks.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 23 June 2025
In one instance, while 15 miles out to sea, the boat's mast spar broke and sent the mainsail toppling down.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025
Even the most inspiring sea captains who command luxurious yachts across picturesque waters have to worry about employees who don’t hoist their share of the mainsail.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2024
The crew shut down the electronics and hauled in the mainsail.
—Tomas Weber, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024
The electric motor, which usually lifts the mainsail into place, had malfunctioned.
—Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022
Cite this Entry
“Mainsail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainsail. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mainsail
noun
main·sail
ˈmān-ˌsāl
ˈmān(t)-səl
ˈmān(t)-səl
: the principal sail on the mainmast
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