Basic+ Word of the Day: main

main (adjective, noun)

A main square.

We use main when we want to say that something is the most important.

• This is the town’s main square.

We also use main when we want to say that something is the biggest.

• It’s usually quicker when you drive on the main roads.

In the UK a main is the biggest part of a meal. For example, if you eat some soup, then a burger, and then ice cream, the burger is the main. In the US we say “main course.”

• UK: For my main, I’ll have the lasagna.
• US: For my main course, I’ll have the lasagna.

Did you know?

In many towns in America, the most important street is called Main Street. It is usually in the center of town and has lots of shops on it. In the UK, this street is often called High Street.

In pop culture

Bowfinger is a movie about a man who wants to make a big movie, but he doesn’t have any money for it. He finds someone who looks exactly like Eddie Murphy (Bobby Bowfinger) and asks him to be in the movie. In this video, the man wants Bowfinger to run across a main road. The cars are driving very fast, but he tells Bowfinger that the people in the cars are stunt men (people who do the dangerous bits in movies). Does Bowfinger get across the road?

There are other meanings of main.