Meaning of “main” in the English Dictionary

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"main" in English

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mainadjective [ before noun ]

uk ​ /meɪn/ us ​ /meɪn/

B1 larger, more important, or having more influence than others of the same type:

The main thing is not to worry.
One of the main reasons I came to England was to study the language.
You'll find the main points of my proposal in the report.
Our main aim/objective is to improve the company's productivity.
The main problem is a lack of resources.
My main concern about moving to San Fransisco is the cost of housing.

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Idiom(s)

be sb's main squeeze

mainnoun

uk ​ /meɪn/ us ​ /meɪn/

main noun (PIPE)

› [ C ] a large pipe that carries water or gas, or a wire carrying electricity, from one place to another, to which a house can be connected:

a gas main
The severe cold caused a water main to burst and flood the street.
mains [ plural ] UK

› the system of pipes or wires that carry water or electricity into a house, or the pipes that carry sewage away from a house:

The house isn't on the mains.
They bought a house with no mains supply.
mains electricity
the mains UK

› the place at which outside pipes or wires carrying water, electricity, etc. connect with the system inside a house or building:

Switch off the electricity at the mains before starting work.

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(Definition of “main” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"main" in American English

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mainadjective [ not gradable ]

us ​ /meɪn/

main adjective [ not gradable ] (MOST IMPORTANT)

› most important or larger:

The main thing is to keep calm and don’t get angry.
The main social event of the summer was a dance and reception.

mainnoun [ C ]

us ​ /meɪn/

main noun [ C ] (PIPE)

› a large pipe that is part of the system carrying water or gas from one place to another:

A water main burst and flooded the street.

(Definition of “main” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"main" in Business English

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mainadjective

uk ​ /meɪn/ us ​

› biggest or most important:

The report identified three main areas for improvement.
Please go to the reception desk at the main entrance.
British Airways, the company's main rival, had also seen an improvement .
the main problem/reason/objective

(Definition of “main” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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