main stem

Definition of main stem

: a main trunk or channel: such as

a : the main course of a river or stream

b : the main street of a city or town

Examples of main stem in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Each site will have a main stem site for data collection and progress to be monitored, Bower said. — Chevall Pryce, Houston Chronicle, "Cypress Creek Watershed Partnership begins search for water quality solutions," 23 Jan. 2020 But now the streets, particularly Market Street — the city’s main stem — are clogged with what appear to be truly mad people, talking to themselves, shouting. — Carl Nolte, SFChronicle.com, "We did this to ourselves, San Francisco. Now we have to live with it," 12 Oct. 2019 But what really did it in, the scientists conclude, were dams—specifically the Gezhouba Dam, built on the main stem of the Yangtze, a little over a thousand miles from the sea. — National Geographic, "The Chinese paddlefish, one of world's largest fish, has gone extinct," 8 Jan. 2020 The city’s main stem lacked the usual December bustle. — Carl Nolte, SFChronicle.com, "Looking for Christmas in the heart of San Francisco," 14 Dec. 2019 At one time there were more than 27 dams along Roaring Brook and its tributaries, including eight large dams along the main stem of the brook. — Peter Marteka, courant.com, "Glastonbury’s Slocomb Dam along Roaring Brook is one of five left along the river. It’ll be removed next summer.," 18 Nov. 2019 The reservoirs would be built at three or more sites northeast of Denver, near the river but not directly blocking the main stem, and hold up to 70,000 acre-feet of water each, according to a consultant’s report. — Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, "Big new reservoirs planned northeast of Denver would divert more of South Platte’s Nebraska-bound water to thirsty metro suburbs," 30 June 2019 One of the poorest countries in the region, Laos already has close to 50 hydroplants operating on various Mekong tributaries and more than 50 planned or under construction, several of them along the main stem of the Mekong. — National Geographic, "Mekong River at its lowest in 100 years, threatening food supply," 31 July 2019 The neighborhood’s other main stem was Howard between Third and Fourth. — Gary Kamiya, SFChronicle.com, "SF ‘hobohemia’ transformed into Skid Row as jobs and city changed," 10 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'main stem.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

7 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Main stem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/main%20stem. Accessed 16 Feb. 2020.

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