Synonyms of mainstay

mainstay

noun

ˈmān-ˌstā 

as in anchor

something or someone to which one looks for support

Mom has been our mainstay in this crisis

Synonyms & Similar Words

• anchor
• backbone
• pillar
• standby
• reliance
• crutch
• dependence
• buttress
• spine
• stay
• refuge
• right hand
• prop
• handmaiden
• anchorage
• sinew(s)
• bolsterer
• harbor

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mainstay

The Met and the Studio Museum are both part of the Cultural Institutions Group, a subset of New York cultural mainstays that receive funding from the city. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026

The companies acknowledged include longtime Term Sheet mainstays like open source security juggernaut Chainguard, new names on the list like frontier AI security company Irregular, and honorable mentions like data loss prevention startup Jazz. — Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026

The Texas native was a mainstay on the big and small screen for years, appearing in Men in Black (1997) as well as Dodgeball (2004), Wonder Boys (2000), and Marie Antoinette (2006). — Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2026

More than four decades later, the restaurant, owned by Jean-Marc Houmard, Huy Chi Le and Michael Callahan, remains a New York mainstay. — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026