main line

¹

noun

1. a principal line or route of a railroad, as contrasted with a branch or secondary one.
2. a principal highway.
3. Slang.
   1. a prominent and readily accessible vein of the body that may be used for a narcotic's injection.
   2. the act of mainlining.

Main Line

²

noun

1. a fashionable residential district west of Philadelphia.
2. any fashionable district where socially prominent people live.

main line

noun

1. railways
   1. the trunk route between two points, usually fed by branch lines
   2. ( as modifier )

      a main-line station

2. a main road

verb

1. slang.
   intr to inject a drug into a vein

adjective

1. having an important position, esp having responsibility for the main areas of activity

Derived Forms

• ˈmainˌliner, noun

Other Words From

• Main-Line adjective
• Main-Liner noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of main line¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Nicknames are a tell for Trump — a brand for his main line of attack.

From Los Angeles Times

The depletion of mangrove forests along the shoreline - the coast’s main line of defence against erosion - is to blame.

From BBC

A message The Associated Press left on the city’s Law Department main line seeking comment Monday wasn’t immediately returned.

From Seattle Times

The extensive corroborating evidence is just one way the prosecution is cutting off the defense’s main line of attack.

From Los Angeles Times

But it has infused the technology into its main lines of business, such as cloud computing contracts and subscriptions for its email and other online services.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• aristocracy
• celebrity
• establishment
• society