english
1
general::
adj.
chief:
The main idea is to make a profit.
noun
principal pipe:
The gas main is broken.
Simple Definitions
2
general::
In addition to the idioms beginning with MAIN, Also see EYE TO THE MAIN CHANCE; IN THE MAIN; MIGHT AND MAIN.
American Heritage Idioms
3
general::
main
larger or more important than all the others:
• the main entrance of the building • the main reason for his decision
chief/principal
most important. Chief and principal are more formal than main , and are often used in written English:
• Coffee is the country’s principal export. • What is the company’s chief objective?
major
very important or serious:
• Smoking is a major cause of heart disease. • Street crime is becoming a major problem.
key
most important, or the one that everything or everyone else depends on:
• Education is likely to be a key issue in the election campaign. • Hooper was a key member of the team. • Diet is key.
number one
especially spoken most important or best - this phrase sounds a little informal and it is used especially in spoken English:
• Reliability is the number one priority. • the number one cause of death • He is still in the number one position.
primary
most important - used especially about the most important aim, role, cause, or concern. Primary is more formal than main:
• The primary aim of the project was to help students develop their communication skills. • Security is our primary concern. • The primary function of the university was considered to be the teaching of ‘the great cultural disciplines’.
prime
very important or most important - used especially about the most important reason, cause, or aim, or about the most likely target or suspect . Prime is more formal than main:
• Their prime objective is to increase profits for their shareholders. • Tourists are prime targets for theft and robbery.
core
most important - used especially about the things that people should pay most attention to:
• the core skills of reading and writing • He wants the company to focus on its core business - advertising. • The party’s core values are individual freedom and reducing the amount of government bureaucracy.
central
most important and having more influence than anything else:
• The U.S. played a central role in the peace negotiations. • a central theme of the book • The central question is, why are people still so attached to their cars?
predominant
most common, typical, or important:
• Yellow was the predominant colour everywhere. • High arched windows are a predominant feature in English churches. • New York still has a predominant role in the contemporary art world.
Longman-Thesaurus
4
general::
noun ADJ. gas, water | burst, leaking There's a burst water main in Quarry Road. VERB + MAIN lay They're laying a new gas main through the town. MAIN + VERB serve sth The main serves four villages. | explode, leak MAIN + NOUN electricity, gas, water an island without mains electricity PREP. at the ~s Turn the water off at the mains. | on the ~s Some of the remoter houses in the village are not on the mains.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary