Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb For the most part; chiefly.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • By main strength; strongly; forcibly; firmly.
  • Greatly; to a great degree; mightily.
  • Chiefly: principally: as, he is mainly occupied with domestic concerns.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb obsolete Very strongly; mightily; to a great degree.
  • adverb Principally; chiefly.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb for the most part

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From main +‎ -ly.

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Examples

  • He wants a rematch to reclaim his title mainly for the big payday it would bring—and he wants this, by every evidence, only in order to pay for his daughters' schooling, to keep the family cars from being repossessed, for his wife's peace of mind while she pursues a medical career.

    What a Knockout of a Series Dorothy Rabinowitz 2011

  • The “International” part of the title mainly refers to the very welcome inclusion of the original Japanese language track, as well as a minor but still appreciated option to change the HUD to its original design, which features stylish anime portraits.

    Star Ocean The Last Hope Review | CurveHouse.com 2010

  • Azawad, a name mainly used by Tuareg nationalists, refers to the Tuareg-speaking zone covering northern Mali, northern Niger, and southern Algeria.

    SFGate: Don Asmussen: Bad Reporter By MARTIN VOGL 2012

  • Azawad, a name mainly used by Tuareg nationalists, refers to the Tuareg-speaking zone covering northern Mali, northern Niger, and southern Algeria.

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2012

  • The term mainly refers to King Louis XVI as he was young when he became king of France.

    Yahoo! Answers: Latest Questions 2010

  • The title mainly improves the practicality of browsing Digg content, including popular and upcoming stories, as well as those submitted in the last 24 hours.

    Megite Technology News: What's Happening Right Now 2010

  • The gameplay in the title mainly consisted of sending adventurers out to the real world to accomplish particular tasks, as well as constructing the various buildings and businesses that make up the land.

    Nintendo Life | Latest Updates 2009

  • Edwards, who knows his chances of winning the title mainly hinge on Johnson having a parts failure or crashing, shrugged off the qualifying spread.

    TimesArgus.com: Sports 2008

  • Edwards, who knows his chances of winning the title mainly hinge on Johnson having a parts failure or crashing, shrugged off the qualifying spread.

    Tsn.ca Top Stories RSS 2008

  • Edwards, who knows his chances of winning the title mainly hinge on Johnson having a parts failure or crashing, shrugged off the gap between them in qualifying.

    HeraldNet.com Local, Sports, Business and Entertainment News 2008

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