mainline
/ˈmeɪnˌlaɪn/adjective, verb, noun
mainline is spelled M-A-I-N-L-I-N-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, mainline means “Normal, principal or standard” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in mainline?
| Letters | 8: M-A-I-N-L-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is mainline?
Mainline appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce mainline?
- /ˈmeɪnˌlaɪn/
Mainline has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mainline.wav, En-au-main_line.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with mainline
Also written: main-line (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of mainline
- main-line
- mainlines present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- mainlining participle, present
- mainlined participle, past
- main line
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mainline mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Normal, principal or standard.
- 2
USNot fundamentalist, charismatic or evangelical.
- 3
Of or pertaining to the principal route or line of a railway.
- 4
Of or pertaining to a surface-level heavy rail system as distinct from an underground, elevated or light rail one.
- 5
Of or pertaining to national or long-distance rail network operators as opposed to urban and suburban operators.
- 6
Pertaining to a direct route between two major ports.
- 7
Of a sequence of opening moves: being part of a main line ("a standard sequence of opening moves considered to be best play").
verb
- 1
slangTo inject (a drug) directly into a vein.
- 2
informalTo consume voraciously.
- 3
To integrate (code, etc.) into the main repository for a software project, rather than separate forks.
- 4
To include (a prisoner) in the general population of a prison.
noun
- 1
An airline's main operating unit, as opposed to codeshares or regional subsidiaries.
- 2
The principal route or line of a railway.
- 3
In longline fishing the central line to which the branch lines with baits are attached.
- 4
The pipeline carrying wastewater to the public drains or a septic tank.
- 5
slangA principal vein into which a drug can be injected.
- 6
The main repository for a software project, from which different versions (forks) may be split off.
- 7
Alternative form of main line.
- 8
The general population of a prison.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate mainline?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of mainline: main.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mainline in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense principal railway line:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Hauptbahn, Haupteisenbahnstrecke |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does mainline come from?
From main + line.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).