plural mainstays
1
a
: a crucial or key part of something
Fish is the mainstay of their diet.
Tourism is a mainstay of the city's economy.
The mainstay of treatment for chronic hives of unknown origin is antihistamine medications.—
Mayo Clinic Health Letter
Mayo Clinic Health Letter
b
: someone or something that is a principal or reliable support or resource
Tourism is one of the city's economic mainstays.
Her immense pride in him and unquestioning support were among the few mainstays in his life.—Robert V. Remini
Robert V. Remini2
: a ship's stay (see stay entry 1 sense 1) extending from the maintop forward usually to the foot of the foremast
Synonyms
Examples of mainstay in a Sentence
Fish is a mainstay of their diet.
My mother has always been the mainstay of our family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hair was clearly the mainstay of the weekend for others.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
World Central Kitchen has quickly become a mainstay of American philanthropy, with contributions on par with much older organizations.
—Ashraf Khalil, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning will co-host NBCU’s Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony with NBC Sports mainstay Mike Tirico.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Straying from the London Fashion Week mainstays, Love instead chose to revive a name from fashion history — and arrived in the biggest (and arguably the best) gown of the evening.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
The Golden Globe-winning Sanchez, a longtime Pat Metheny Group mainstay, will provide live musical accompaniment at the screening of the film here.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024
The influential composers and producers have been a mainstay in UK music their debut album Knee-Deep in the North Sea, was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2008.
—Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
The restaurant, a mainstay on Michigan Avenue, was set to close after service on Tuesday.
—Detroit Free Press, 27 Mar. 2024
He’s been a mainstay at the fashion house since 1989.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 8 Apr. 2024
World Central Kitchen has quickly become a mainstay of American philanthropy, with contributions on par with much older organizations.
—Ashraf Khalil, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning will co-host NBCU’s Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony with NBC Sports mainstay Mike Tirico.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Straying from the London Fashion Week mainstays, Love instead chose to revive a name from fashion history — and arrived in the biggest (and arguably the best) gown of the evening.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
The Golden Globe-winning Sanchez, a longtime Pat Metheny Group mainstay, will provide live musical accompaniment at the screening of the film here.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024
The influential composers and producers have been a mainstay in UK music their debut album Knee-Deep in the North Sea, was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2008.
—Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
The restaurant, a mainstay on Michigan Avenue, was set to close after service on Tuesday.
—Detroit Free Press, 27 Mar. 2024
He’s been a mainstay at the fashion house since 1989.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mainstay.' 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 mainstay
Cite this Entry
“Mainstay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainstay. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mainstay
noun
main·stay
-ˌstā 
1
: a large strong rope running from the maintop of a ship usually to the foot of the foremast
2
: a chief support
the mainstay of the family
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