main

adjective, noun adjective [onlybeforenoun] being the largest or most important of its kind: Be careful crossing the main road. * the main course (= of a meal) * We have our main meal at lunchtime. * Reception is in the main building. * Poor housing and unemployment are the main problems. * (spoken) The main thing is to stay calm. IDIOMS see EYEn.

1 [C] a large pipe that carries water or gas to a building; a large cable that carries electricity to a building: a leaking gas main seealsoWATERMAIN 2 a large pipe that carries waste/water and SEWAGE (= human waste, etc.) away from a building 3 (the mains) [pl.] (BrE) the place where the supply of water, gas or electricity to a building or an area starts; the system of providing gas, water and electricity to a building or of carrying it away from a building: The house is not yet connected to the mains. * The electricity supply has been cut off at the mains. * Plug the transformer into the mains (= the place on a wall where electricity is brought into a room). * mains gas / water / electricity * The shaver will run off batteries or mains. * mains drainage IDIOMS in the main used to say that a statement is true in most cases: The service here is, in the main, reliable. * In the main, the money raised goes to children's charities. \