mainsheet

American

[meyn-sheet] / ˈmeɪnˌʃit /

noun

Nautical.

a sheet of a mainsail.

mainsheet British

/ ˈmeɪnˌʃiːt /

noun

nautical the line used to control the angle of the mainsail to the wind

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mainsheet

First recorded in 1475–85; main ¹, sheet ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Singlehanded events can leave the commentators with little more to talk about than why that French laser sailor keeps putting his mainsheet in his mouth.

From Slate • Jul. 29, 2021

According to a timeline of events released by the team, Mr Fisher was hit by the mainsheet system and knocked overboard.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2018

As the mainsail swung across the boat, the mainsheet system caught Fisher and knocked him off the boat, the team said.

From Washington Times • Mar. 28, 2018

Daniel eased the mainsheet and let the boom swing out.

From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2016

A chill took him and he lashed the tiller over with the tail of the mainsheet and went below for a moment to get his windbreaker.

From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023