noun
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nautical the forestay that braces the mainmast
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a chief support
Etymology
Origin of mainstay
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.
The Chrysler 300C sedan of the 2000s became a mainstay in hip-hop videos.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
They weren’t always the flashiest businesses, but they built the Baltimore company into a grocery store mainstay.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
"I see him being a big success for England and being a mainstay for years."
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
Scams have become a "mainstay" of modern crime and are "increasingly difficult to investigate because of their transnational nature", said Jeffery Chin, deputy director at the police Scam Public Education Office.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 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.