main

{{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}}

noun

1

ADJECTIVE

▪ gas, water

▪ broken (AmE), burst (BrE)

▪

water damage from broken mains

▪

There's a burst water main in Quarry Road.

▪ rising (BrE)

▪ cast-iron (esp. BrE)

VERB + MAIN

▪ lay

▪

They're laying a new gas main through the town.

▪ replace

▪ repair

MAIN + VERB

▪ serve sth

▪

The main serves four towns.

2 mains (BrE)

MAINS + NOUN

▪ electricity, gas, water

▪

an island without mains electricity

PREPOSITION

▪ at the mains

▪

Turn the water off at the mains.

▪ on the mains

▪

Some of the remoter houses in the town are not on the mains.

PHRASES

▪ connected to the mains

▪

The house is not yet connected to the mains.

{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}

adj.

Main is used with these nouns: ↑achievement, ↑act, ↑actor, actress, ↑advantage, ↑agent, ↑aim, ↑altar, ↑ambition, ↑area, ↑argument, ↑artery, ↑aspect, ↑asset, ↑attraction, ↑attribute, ↑bathroom, ↑bedroom, ↑body, ↑building, ↑campus, ↑cause, ↑centre, ↑challenge, ↑challenger, ↑chamber, ↑character, ↑characteristic, ↑city, ↑clause, ↑competitor, ↑complaint, ↑component, ↑concern, ↑conclusion, ↑consequence, ↑consideration, ↑contender, ↑contention, ↑contributor, ↑corridor, ↑course, ↑courtyard, ↑criterion, ↑criticism, ↑culprit, ↑deck, ↑demand, ↑desk, ↑difference, ↑dimension, ↑disadvantage, ↑discipline, ↑dish, ↑distinction, ↑distributor, ↑door, ↑drawback, ↑drift, ↑effect, ↑element, ↑emphasis, ↑enemy, ↑entrance, ↑event, ↑exception, ↑exit, ↑exponent, ↑export, ↑faction, ↑factor, ↑feature, ↑finding, ↑flaw, ↑flow, ↑focus, ↑force, ↑foyer, ↑function, ↑gate, ↑goal, ↑hall, ↑hallway, ↑heading, ↑headquarters, ↑highlight, ↑highway, ↑hope, ↑hurdle, ↑idea, ↑impact, ↑impediment, ↑impetus, ↑implication, ↑import, ↑impression, ↑incentive, ↑indicator, ↑ingredient, ↑instrument, ↑interest, ↑issue, ↑item, ↑line, ↑loser, ↑meal, ↑menu, ↑message, ↑mission, ↑motivation, ↑motive, ↑object, ↑objection, ↑objective, ↑obstacle, ↑occupation, ↑offender, ↑office, ↑opponent, ↑page, ↑part, ↑participant, ↑partner, ↑party, ↑pattern, ↑plank, ↑plot, ↑post office, ↑preoccupation, ↑priority, ↑problem, ↑purpose, ↑reason, ↑recipient, ↑recommendation, ↑representative, ↑requirement, ↑residence, ↑responsibility, ↑rival, ↑road, ↑role, ↑room, ↑route, ↑sail, ↑section, ↑shareholder, ↑shopping centre, ↑shortcoming, ↑source, ↑speaker, ↑sponsor, ↑square, ↑stage, ↑stair, ↑staircase, ↑stem, ↑story, ↑strand, ↑street, ↑stress, ↑stumbling block, ↑subject, ↑supplier, ↑support, ↑suspect, ↑tank, ↑target, ↑task, ↑text, ↑theme, ↑thesis, ↑thing, ↑thread, ↑threat, ↑thrust, ↑topic, ↑track, ↑trail, ↑trend, ↑tributary, ↑type, ↑value, ↑vehicle, ↑verb, ↑witness, ↑worry