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mainstay

American  
[meyn-stey] / ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ /

noun

  1. Nautical. the stay that secures the mainmast forward.

  2. a person or thing that acts as a chief support or part.

    Coffee is the mainstay of the country's economy.
    Synonyms:
    prop, anchor, bulwark, pillar
mainstay British  
/ ˈmeɪnˌsteɪ /

noun

  1. nautical the forestay that braces the mainmast

  2. a chief support

"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 mainstay

First recorded in 1475–85; main 1 + stay 2

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.

Prior to his work on Radio 2, Mills was a mainstay on Radio 1 - which he joined in 1998 - for decades.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Troubled singer-songwriters are a mainstay in the mythology of American roots music.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

The Astros had been a mainstay atop the AL West for eight years — claiming seven division titles during that time — but now the division appears to be under new management.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Buttler, who signed a new two-year central contract last year, has been a mainstay of England's white-ball teams for more than a decade.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

Owners no longer had the economic clout of being a mainstay of the economy.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.