Spanish Main


noun
  1. (formerly) the mainland of America adjacent to the Caribbean Sea, especially the area between the mouth of the Orinoco River and the Isthmus of Panama.

  2. the Caribbean Sea: the route of the Spanish treasure galleons and a former haunt of pirates.

Words Nearby Spanish Main

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Spanish Main in a sentence

  • Carthagena, a magnificent city and the capital of the Spanish Main, was Drake's next objective.

    Drake, Nelson and Napoleon | Walter Runciman
  • All along the Spanish Main, wherever there is more than one fort, you will find them linked together by tunnels.

    The White Mice | Richard Harding Davis
  • Mr. Stewart had in his diplomatic capacity seen many of the pirates who abounded on the Spanish Main in those days.

    Memoirs | Charles Godfrey Leland
  • He sailed on the Spanish Main, and brought back with him a great deal of money which he had made in trade—or otherwise.

    Wit and Wisdom of Lord Tredegar | Godfrey Charles Morgan
  • When he was told that your uncle Jasper had died of a malaria out on the Spanish Main, a smile came upon his face.

    The Golden Galleon | Robert Leighton

British Dictionary definitions for Spanish Main

Spanish Main

noun
  1. the mainland of Spanish America, esp the N coast of South America from the Isthmus of Panama to the mouth of the Orinoco River, Venezuela

  2. the Caribbean Sea, the S part of which in colonial times was the route of Spanish treasure galleons and the haunt of pirates

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