mainline

verb

main·line | \ˈmān-ˌlīn

mainlined; mainlining; mainlines

Definition of mainline

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

slang : to take by or as if by injecting into a principal vein

intransitive verb

slang : to mainline a narcotic drug

mainline

adjective

Definition of mainline (Entry 2 of 3)

: being part of an established group also : being in the mainstream

main line

noun

Definition of main line (Entry 3 of 3)

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: Verb

In a city that mainlines major brands, d3 is a welcome change. — Laura Ratliff, Condé Nast Traveler, "10 Best Shops in Dubai," 5 Mar. 2018 That both doctors vouched for the health of a man who mainlines McDonald's and likes steak and meatloaf is incredible. — Z. Byron Wolf, CNN, "The surreal tales of Trump's 2 former doctors," 1 May 2018 And no one seemed to be given pause by the fact that the brand’s most famous son had mainlined a fatal speedball just across the street. — Benjamin Wallace, HWD, "Can Anyone Repair National Lampoon’s Devastated Brand?," 1 May 2017 Before any stars turned up to rehearse for Sunday's ceremony, crew members were busy putting the finishing touches on the elaborate production, rushing around wearing headsets and mainlining coffee from craft services. — Amy Kaufman, latimes.com, "The Oscars turn 90, and the production team leaves no room for error ... this time," 2 Mar. 2018 Working with producer Greg Kurstin—a pop wizard whose credits include Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Sia, Ellie Goulding, and Lily Allen—Beck basically mainlined the top of the charts. — Matt Miller, Esquire, "Beck's New Album Is Perfect for a Really Weird Car Commercial," 13 Oct. 2017 There are rappers who mainline the aesthetic and vibrating energy of punk. — Jon Caramanica, New York Times, "Lil Uzi Vert and a Generation of Rap Stars Looking Beyond Hip-Hop," 1 Sep. 2017 And no one seemed to be given pause by the fact that the brand’s most famous son had mainlined a fatal speedball just across the street. — Benjamin Wallace, HWD, "Can Anyone Repair National Lampoon’s Devastated Brand?," 19 May 2017 Watching Game of Thrones now feels like mainlining a bunch of CW shows like Arrow or Vampire Diaries—or even, sometimes, Jane the Virgin. — Annalee Newitz, Ars Technica, "Game of Thrones has become a CW show," 28 Aug. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

White mainline churches are emptying at an astonishing rate. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "White evangelicals are the only religious group to support Trump," 3 Oct. 2018 Anders was ordained in the United Church of Christ, a liberal mainline Protestant denomination, and preached for a time at Rockville United Church in Maryland. — Hannah Natanson, The Seattle Times, "At the Church of the Wild, congregants wander silent and barefoot through nature," 6 Aug. 2018 This comes as the Presbyterians, like other mainline protestants churches, have faced rapidly declining memberships and an identity crisis that has allowed the more radical elements within the church to hijack the movement, observers say. — Sean Savage, Jewish Journal, "Presbyterian Church continues trend of targeting Israel at its General Assembly," 26 June 2018 In America, mainline Protestantism — including Curry’s own Episcopal Church, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion — has seen a steady decline in membership, attendance and giving since the mid-1960s, and evangelicalism is also in retreat. — Randall Balmer, Washington Post, "‘Love is the only way’: How a black preacher’s royal wedding address showed the power of a good sermon," 21 May 2018 Fifty-four years later, church affiliation across America — particularly in mainline and evangelical Protestant communities — remains racially and politically divided. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Before Trump, churches were increasingly multiracial. What next?," 3 July 2018 There would then be 32 registered Democrats to be seated in the 63-member Senate (eight IDC members, 23 mainline Democratic members and one Simcha Felder). — Chris Cillizza, CNN, "Here's exactly how much trouble Cynthia Nixon can cause for Andrew Cuomo," 20 Mar. 2018 Many mainline carriers are increasing their own recruiting and training efforts. — New York Times, "More Jobs Will Be Cleared for Takeoff. Aspiring Pilots Are Ready.," 27 May 2018 The goal is to experience music from around the world, not mainline Justin Bieber for a weekend. — Sarah Bahr, Indianapolis Star, "Ultimate Indiana bucket list: 50+ things to do in Indianapolis and around the state," 11 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Wu is evolving his label and has recently rebranded his main line to Jason Wu Collection and his secondary line to Jason Wu. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Jason Wu Is Launching a Denim Collection With the Help of 3x1," 12 Sep. 2018 Investigators also are focusing on why a railroad switch was locked in the wrong position, sending the Amtrak train off the main line and onto the side track. — Washington Post, "NTSB: Amtrak engineer sounded horn, applied emergency brake in S.C. crash," 5 Feb. 2018 Check the main line connection at the street and house. — Gary Robbins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Safety tips to follow before, during and after an earthquake," 8 July 2018 By 1929, Daley and the now-18 operators who reported to her were working out of more established quarters on the fifth floor of the Cannon Office Building, handling around 30,000 calls a day over 100 main lines and 1,000 stations. — New York Times, "Overlooked No More: Harriott Daley, the Capitol’s First Telephone Operator," 23 Apr. 2018 When the Long Island Rail Road began to extend its main line between Hicksville and Cold Spring Harbor in 1854, East Woods lay along the route. — Julie Lasky, New York Times, "Syosset, N.Y.: Suburban Subdivisions and Wooded Hillsides," 11 Apr. 2018 Fredyson Martinez, vice president of a union that represents power company workers, said in a phone interview that another line the company was trying to use to help back up the main line also failed on Thursday for unknown reasons. — CBS News, "Power outage in Puerto Rico leaves hundreds of thousands without electricity," 12 Apr. 2018 Instead of getting Jesus on the main line, Briese decided to call his Lord and Savior from whom all white things flow: the police. — Michael Harriot, The Root, "#MourningWhileBlack: Priest Calls Cops on Black Funeral-Goers, Tells Them to 'Get the Hell Out' of Church," 2 July 2018 In May 27, a spill was reported from the main line north of Kamloops. — Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times, "Canada acquires key pipeline link to Washington refineries," 11 June 2018

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