main.
Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
Meaning & usage
Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
The main office is actually one of the smaller rooms.
Chief, most important, or principal in extent, size, or strength; consisting of the largest part.
main timbers
main branch of a river
Full, sheer, undivided.
Big; angry.
Belonging to or connected with the principal mast in a vessel.
Great in size or degree; important, powerful, strong, vast.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English mayn, main, maine, mæin, meyn, from main (noun) (see further at etymology 2); compare Old English mæġen (“strong, main, principal”) (used in combination) and Old Norse megn, megenn (“strong, main”). The word is cognate with Old High German megīn (“strong, mighty”) (modern German Möge, Vermögen (“power, wealth”)), and also akin to Old English magan (“to be able to”). See also may.
Exceedingly, extremely, greatly, mightily, very, very much.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English mayn, main, maine, mæin, meyn, from main (noun) (see further at etymology 2); compare Old English mæġen (“strong, main, principal”) (used in combination) and Old Norse megn, megenn (“strong, main”). The word is cognate with Old High German megīn (“strong, mighty”) (modern German Möge, Vermögen (“power, wealth”)), and also akin to Old English magan (“to be able to”). See also may.
Ellipsis of mainline (“to inject (a drug) directly into a vein”).
To mainly play a specific character or side, or with specific equipment, during a game.
He mains the same character as me in that game.
What race do you main and what is your favourite race to beat?
To convert (a road) into a main or primary road.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English mayn, main, maine, mæin, meyn, from main (noun) (see further at etymology 2); compare Old English mæġen (“strong, main, principal”) (used in combination) and Old Norse megn, megenn (“strong, main”). The word is cognate with Old High German megīn (“strong, mighty”) (modern German Möge, Vermögen (“power, wealth”)), and also akin to Old English magan (“to be able to”). See also may.
That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross.
That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross. The primary character that one plays in a video game in which one can play more than one character.
My WoW main has reached level cap and I’m on my way getting my first alt there as well.
That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross. A main account.
His main got banned after his last post.
A large cable or pipe providing utility service to an area or a building, such as a water main or electric main.
There's a gas leak in the main outside the building.
Ellipsis of main course (“the principal dish of a meal”).
I had scampi and chips for my main and a slice of cheesecake for dessert.
The high seas.
The mainland.
Ellipsis of mainsail.
Force, power, strength, violent effort.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English mayn, main, maine, mæine, mæȝen, from Old English mæġen (“strength”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą (“strength, power, might”), *maginaz (“strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (“be able”). The word is cognate with Old High German magen, megin, Old Norse magn, megn, megin, Old Saxon megin. More recent senses are derived from the adjective.
A hand or match in a game of dice.
The largest throw in a match at dice; in the game of hazard, a number from one to nine called out by a person before the dice are thrown.
A stake played for at dice.
A sporting contest or match, especially a cockfighting match.
A banker's shovel for coins.
Where this word comes from
Uncertain; probably from the adjective main. Evidence is lacking for a derivation from French main (“hand”).
A basket for gathering grapes.
Where this word comes from
Uncertain, possibly from French main (“hand”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.