main

adj.

1. 主要的；最重要的
   being the largest or most important of its kind
   1. Be careful crossing the main road .
      过大马路时小心点儿。
   2. the main course (= of a meal)
      主菜
   3. We have our main meal at lunchtime.
      我们的正餐是午饭。
   4. Reception is in the main building.
      接待处在主楼。
   5. Poor housing and unemployment are the main problems.
      住房条件差和失业是主要问题。
   6. The main thing is to stay calm.
      最重要的是要保持冷静。

noun

1. （通往建筑物的）主管道，总管，输电干线
   a large pipe that carries water or gas to a building; a large cable that carries electricity to a building
   1. a leaking gas main
      漏气的煤气总管
2. （建筑物的）污水总管道
   a large pipe that carries waste/water and sewage (= human waste, etc.) away from a building
3. 水源；煤气源；电源；（水、煤气、电等的）供应系统；下水道系统
   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
   1. The house is not yet connected to the mains.
      这房子还没有通水电。
   2. The electricity supply has been cut off at the mains .
      电的供应在电源处被切断。
   3. Plug the transformer into the mains (= the place on a wall where electricity is brought into a room) .
      将变压器插入电源。
   4. mains gas/water/electricity
      煤气 / 水 / 电供应系统
   5. The shaver will run off batteries or mains.
      这个剃须刀可用电池或电源驱动。
   6. mains drainage
      排水系统

1. ADJ 主要的;最重要的
   The main thing is the most important one of several similar things in a particular situation.
   1. ...one of the main tourist areas of Amsterdam...
      阿姆斯特丹的主要旅游区之一
   2. My main concern now is to protect the children...
      我现在最关心的就是要保护好孩子们。
   3. What are the main differences and similarities between them?
      他们之间主要的异同点是什么？
2. PHRASE 大体上;基本上
   If you say that something is true in the main, you mean that it is generally true, although there may be exceptions.
   1. Tourists are, in the main, sympathetic people...
      大体说来，游客们都富有同情心。
   2. In the main, children are taboo in the workplace.
      工作场所基本上禁止儿童进入。
3. N-COUNT (室内煤气、自来水或污水的)总管道，主管道
   The mains are the pipes which supply gas or water to buildings, or which take sewage away from them.
   1. ...the water supply from the mains...
      总管道的自来水供应
   2. The capital has been without mains water since Wednesday night.
      从周三晚上开始，首都就停水了。
4. N-PLURAL 电力线;电源
   The mains are the wires which supply electricity to buildings, or the place where the wires end inside the building.
   1. ...amplifiers which plug into the mains...
      接通电源的扩音器
   2. Make sure plugs are disconnected from the mains...
      确保插头与电源断开。
   3. It is mains or battery powered.
      它是由电源或者电池供电的。

1. The main part of the army moved to Sevastopol to besiege the town
   军队主力转移到了塞瓦斯托波尔，对该城进行围攻。
2. Water shortages in the area will be the main constraint on development.
   水资源匮乏将是制约该地区发展的一个主要因素。
3. A gas main had cracked under my neighbour's garage and gas had seeped into our homes
   邻居车库下面的煤气总管裂开了，煤气渗入了我们家。
4. The main crop is wheat and this is grown even on the very steep slopes.
   主要作物是小麦，就连很陡的坡地都种上了小麦。
5. This overall figure conceals wide divergences between the main industrial countries
   这项综合数据掩盖了主要工业国家间的巨大分歧。
6. It criticises the main contractor for seriously erring in its original estimates
   它批评主要承包商在其最初估价中犯了严重的错误。
7. After the second explosion, all of London's main train and subway stations were shut down
   第二次爆炸后，伦敦所有的主要火车站和地铁站都关闭了。
8. One of the main findings of the survey was the confusion about the facilities already in place
   这项调查的一个主要发现就是对于哪些设备已经到位搞不清楚。
9. By early yesterday, the insurgents had taken control of the country's main military air base.
   到昨天清晨为止，叛乱者已经控制了该国的主要空军基地。
10. The main lines of the plan were a reduction in expenditure and the rationalization of government controls.
    该计划的主要内容是支出的缩减和政府控制的合理化改革。
11. The study links the main living area to the kitchen.
    书房把主要的生活区与厨房连在一起。
12. My main concern now is to protect the children
    我现在最关心的就是要保护好孩子们。
13. What are the main differences and similarities between them?
    他们之间主要的异同点是什么？
14. Tourists are, in the main, sympathetic people
    大体说来，游客们都富有同情心。
15. In the main, children are taboo in the workplace.
    工作场所基本上禁止儿童进入。
16. The capital has been without mains water since Wednesday night.
    从周三晚上开始，首都就停水了。
17. Make sure plugs are disconnected from the mains
    确保插头与电源断开。
18. It is mains or battery powered.
    它是由电源或者电池供电的。
19. I told him my main reservation about his film was the ending
    我告诉他我主要是对他电影的结尾有保留意见。
20. Wallerstein's work can be separated into three main component themes
    沃勒斯坦的作品可以细分成3个主要的主题。
21. He skirted round his main differences with her.
    他避开了和她之间的主要分歧。
22. There are two main structuralist techniques incorporated into critical social research.
    批判性社会研究中融入了两种主要的结构主义分析技巧。
23. It's bound to be the main talking point during discussions between the Prime Minister and the President.
    这必然会成为首相和总统之间讨论的主要话题。
24. The main thrust of the research will be the study of the early Universe and galaxy formation
    此项研究的核心是早期宇宙和银河系的形成。
25. A water main burst and the street was flooded.
    总水管破裂了，整条街道发了大水。
26. The main force of the enemy met with a check.
    敌人的主力受到了牵制。
27. The work has been completed in the main.
    这项工作已经基本完成。
28. The main points of the plan are as follows.
    计划的要点如下。
29. The main spring of the alarm clock is broken.
    闹钟的簧断了。
30. The main emphasis of our research has shifted to the prevention of infection and septicemia.
    我们研究的重点转到预防感染和败血病方面来。

  essential basic central chief crucial important main【导航词义：主要的，重要的】

  essential adj. 必要的，重要的，基本的

〔辨析〕语气较强，强调极其重要、必不可少的，暗含某物如缺少某部分，则失去其本质特征的意味。

  basic adj. 基本的，主要的

〔辨析〕指构成事物最重要、最根本部分的。

  central adj. 重要的，主要的

〔辨析〕强调相比较而言更重要或更有影响力的。

  chief adj. 最重要的，主要的，首席的

〔辨析〕强调最重要的或等级最高的，只作定语。

  crucial adj. 决定性的，关键的

〔辨析〕指处于某一重要转折点的，强调某事物非常重要，是其他事物依赖的对象。

  important adj. 重要的，重大的

〔辨析〕普通用词，指人有权威、有影响力的，或指事物意义重大、有价值的。

  main adj. 主要的，最重要的

〔辨析〕普通用词，多指同类事物中最大、最重要的。

adj.

with an eye for/on/to the main chance

• 瞅机会捞一把
  with the hope of using a particular situation in order to gain some advantage for yourself

n.

in the main

• 大体上；基本上
  used to say that a statement is true in most cases
  1. The service here is, in the main, reliable.
     这里的服务基本上是可靠的。

noun

1. a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage

2. any very large body of (salt) water

   Synonym:    briny