mainstay

noun

main·​stay ˈmān-ˌstā 

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

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

2

: a ship's stay (see stay entry 1 sense 1) extending from the maintop forward usually to the foot of the foremast

Synonyms

• anchor
• backbone
• pillar
• standby

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

For all the hype about tech, the executive team is largely old-school Hollywood too, as new C-suite occupants such as NBC Universal veteran Jeff Shell, Sony marketing executive Josh Greenstein and even Netflix mainstay Cindy Holland cut their teeth on content, not computation. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025

Still a Fixture on the Rock & Metal List In addition to its new peaks, Around the Fur is still a mainstay on the Official Rock & Metal Albums chart. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

And the time has come because Skelly—the iconic 12-foot skeleton that has become a Halloween decor mainstay—is back, witches. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2025

Just under two months ago, Hollywood mainstay Julianne Nicholson received her IndieWire Performance Honor, another mark in a year that is finally shining the spotlight on the journeyman actress. —Rance Collins, IndieWire, 2 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for mainstay

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids 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