in the main
9
3.7
- idiom
:
en general
- In assessing the project, we found that, in the main, the results met our expectations.
- in the main study
- in the main categories
- in the main area
So I think that technology, in the main, has a direction.
- So I think that technology, in the main, has a direction.
- But I have to say, in the main, we think a lot alike, right?
- It can be said with certainty that in the main, the civil war has ended.
- But it's also I did talk about I want I want my students to be good people and and in the main, they've been very good people.
- You know, the fact that our world behaves reproducibly in the main is absolutely essential for the integrity of our lives.
- Are there certain things that if you can generally get those things right, it helps an individual in the main be the best version of themselves.
Examples
-
But I have to say, in the main, we think a lot alike, right?
-
So I think that technology, in the main, has a direction.
-
His descriptions of likely areas of friction are, in the main, accurate.
Academic text (1996) -
It can be said with certainty that in the main, the civil war has ended.
-
An obvious conclusion from our review is that cognitively focused instruction, in the main, is still early in its development.
Academic text (2013) -
But in the main, knowledge about infectious diseases will rarely, if ever, be so one-sided.
Academic text (2017) -
To some historians, like Christopher Hay, most of the people remained in the main, traditionalists in their religious beliefs.
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Although CEO influence and effective interaction are appropriate in the main, they have the potential for self-dealing and self-aggrandizement.
Academic text (1993) -
It struggled for every strip of land, every city and every village, and the realization is painful that our struggle in the main was unsuccessful.
-
The current temple houses eleven deities in the main hall and four other deities in an annex.
Academic text (2005)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Most of the time
∞
1.0
For the most part
∞
1.0
Usually or in most cases
602
2.4
For the most part
457
2.4
To be mostly about one main thing
261
3.2
It happens in most cases but not always
219
1.6
Says something is true most of the time, not about small details
103
3.7
Mainly true in most cases
89
3.4
To say that something is true in most cases
52
2.6
Happens most of the time
31
4.0
Mostly or for the most part
28
2.8
Usually in most cases
22
3.0
Mainly or for the most part
3
6.7
For the most part
Antonyms
How General
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'in the main' is directly interpretable as 'in the main (part/sense)', i.e. concerning the primary or chief aspects, so its meaning 'for the most part / generally' is compositionally derived from 'in' + 'the' + 'main' (main = primary). This prepositional-nominal construction is a transparent, common way to express generality in English and is likely recoverable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The phrase in the main comes from old sailors who called the open sea the Main. To be 'in the Main' meant being in the large middle area, so people later used it to mean 'for the most part'.