as in primary
coming before all others in importance
this is the main point of the study—everything else is secondary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in power
muscular strength
all their might and main could not budge the stalled car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in continent
one of the great divisions of land on the globe or the main part of such a division
islanders periodically traveled back to the main for supplies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in core
the main or greater part of something as distinguished from its subordinate parts
the main of the tree is still healthy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of main
Brian Anthony Hernandez, People.com, 6 July 2025
These tickets have to be redeemed at the Florida Lottery main office in Tallahassee or one of the district offices.
—David J. Neal
july 6, Miami Herald, 6 July 2025
Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
Between 2007 and 2008, Johnson County Wastewater installed public sewer mains throughout the site in anticipation of the development, but the project never came to fruition.
—Taylor O’Connor, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for main
Adjective
The Michigan woman’s family told PEOPLE that one particular food — the potato — is a main contributing factor to her living a long life.
—Brian Anthony Hernandez, People.com, 6 July 2025
These tickets have to be redeemed at the Florida Lottery main office in Tallahassee or one of the district offices.
—David J. Neal
july 6, Miami Herald, 6 July 2025
Noun
The actual premium live event main begins at 7:00 p.m. ET and is expected to run approximately three hours.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
Between 2007 and 2008, Johnson County Wastewater installed public sewer mains throughout the site in anticipation of the development, but the project never came to fruition.
—Taylor O’Connor, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for main
Recent Examples of Synonyms for main
Adjective
-
Fortunately, the various streaming platforms that ride sidecar with the primary ratings engine of TV are recapturing a healthy percentage of the younger crowd who represent the future of sports consumption.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
11 July 2025
-
Pocketbook Issues Dominate The primary drivers of uncertainly are the cost of living, price inflation and general economic uncertainty.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
There's more than enough power in the iPhone Pro and Pro Max models to allow macOS to run smoothly on the hardware.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
-
Big Brother went from America voting out the houseguests to the housemates voting out their own with weekly competitions to have ultimate power as Head of Household.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
As instability proliferates across regions and continents in our time, there’s surprisingly little public focus on the security of travel at the highest levels.—
Melik Kaylan,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
-
Country's global revival reaches the Pacific Islands Being based in the Pacific Islands offers Maoli unique geographical proximity to half the world's continents.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
The spin-off allowed the parent company to focus on its core business and return capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases .—
Anniek Bao,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
10 July 2025
-
At its core are federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) like Baltimore Medical System, which provide primary care and wraparound support regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.—
Jacob Murphy,
Baltimore Sun,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
There's near universal agreement that pay is a predominant factor in attracting and retaining teachers ― either to other schools or to other professions.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
-
But this is not the predominant architectural style found in all of Cincinnati's neighborhoods, explained Cincinnati Preservation Association executive director Beth Johnson, a working group member.—
Sydney Franklin,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
Isolation exercises target one joint at a time and enhance your muscles' appearance.—
Aubrey Bailey,
Verywell Health,
14 July 2025
-
This generates an almost perfect marbling between meat and fat and a soft muscle, which makes for tasty and tender meat.—
Liza B. Zimmerman,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
The beach resort is based on the island of Zanzibar, off the Indian Ocean coast of mainland Tanzania.—
Heather Richardson,
Travel + Leisure,
8 July 2025
-
Roughly the same number of men were forced to spend the storm inside the Adler Planetarium when high waves made the causeway between it and the mainland impassable.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
The sound led to a white Art Deco building near Seventh Avenue and Van Buren Street, where Club Contact, a nightlife mainstay for Phoenix’s creative youth, began to fill with bodies and heat.—
Raphael Romero Ruiz,
AZCentral.com,
8 July 2025
-
The body always tells the truth, and your body on that lie detector test spoke loud and clear.—
Ryan Coleman Published,
EW.com,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/main. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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