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
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Recent Examples of main
Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026
The sixth closed school, Palm Cove Elementary in Pembroke Pines, may be converted into a branch campus of Sheridan Technical Center, which has its main location in Hollywood.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
The restaurant’s menu is printed on the back of a record sleeve, with a list of starters mined from special, one-off dinners Garcia and Huerta host monthly called Kamikaze, and mains rooted in their signature tacos, tortas and burritos.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for main
Adjective
This clutch is no exception, with a spacious main compartment and two interior card slots for extra organization.
—Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026
The sixth closed school, Palm Cove Elementary in Pembroke Pines, may be converted into a branch campus of Sheridan Technical Center, which has its main location in Hollywood.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
Dishes range from lobster aguachile or deviled beet eggs to hearty mains like bone marrow short rib pappardelle or shrimp tamales with crispy yuca.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
The restaurant’s menu is printed on the back of a record sleeve, with a list of starters mined from special, one-off dinners Garcia and Huerta host monthly called Kamikaze, and mains rooted in their signature tacos, tortas and burritos.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for main
Recent Examples of Synonyms for main
Adjective
-
Even the more politically active class of nonprofits — 501(c)(4) groups, like the relatively new American Hunters and Anglers — can’t make political activity its primary activity.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Last year, six people ran for Sacramento mayor and no one got more than 30% of the vote during the primary election.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In a social media post on Monday morning, Kuwait said a service building at a power generation and water desalination plant were damaged in an attack Sunday evening, killing one worker.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In January, another Polymarket account won big by betting that Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, would soon be out of power.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Kathryn has explored 60-plus countries on six continents while contributing to Architectural Digest, Departures, AFAR, C Magazine, Brides, and Los Angeles Times, among other publications.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The image quickly spread across platforms including X, Facebook and Threads, with users pointing to it as symbolic evidence that the protests reached every continent.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That included both the SLS rocket's core stage and upper stage separately at different times from Orion, which also deployed its solar arrays to draw power from the sun while reaching a high-Earth orbit about 46,000 miles high.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
According to statements from the lawmakers involved, the core issue is security.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jiefeng Sun, PhD, an assistant professor at ASU, and co-author of the study, noted the muscles could be used across agriculture, industry, healthcare, home tasks and even future space missions.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The most common adverse events were falls and muscle weakness, which overlap with ALS symptoms.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Four causeways in the cardinal directions connect the mainland to a central plaza, which contains two sacrificial temples.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The older consensus assumes Washington would still try to stabilize the situation—escort shipping, surge regional forces, send warnings, hold back from hitting the mainland.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Her body was found at a site along the Trinity River.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated March 31,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
-
In their filing in Sacramento Superior Court, the residents accuse city officials of violating Measure O, which mandates that interim shelters sit more than 500 feet away from bodies of water or streams.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
First, the predominant previous assessment of many pundits that Gulf states’ collective large investments in defense were prestige driven — as opposed to a necessity — has fallen flat on its face.—
Faisal J. Abbas,
semafor.com,
27 Mar. 2026
-
But on the Facebook Just in Time Broadway fan group, which has 7,700 members and seems to be the locus of Groffie fandom, the predominant tone is warm, almost giddy.—
Alexandra Starr,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Main.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/main. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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