mainspring

[ meyn-spring ]

/ ˈmeɪnˌsprɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR mainspring ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the principal spring in a mechanism, as in a watch.

the chief motive power; the impelling cause.

Origin of mainspring

First recorded in 1585–95; main¹ + spring

Words nearby mainspring

mains, mainsail, main sequence, main shaft, mainsheet, mainspring, main squeeze, mainstay, main stem, main store, mainstream

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for mainspring

He keeps time for a year or two, and then something happens to his mainspring and he gets the sack.
The Best Short Stories of 1917|Various
You would fain be thought to take no share in government, while in reality you are the mainspring of the machine.
Junius Unmasked|Joel Moody
This belief was the mainspring that kept the Southern Confederacy going, as it was also the corner-stone of its constitution.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 2 of 8|Various
It always remains the mainspring of intellectual life; when it ceases to be a motive power to thinking, thought is dead.
Outlines of Educational Doctrine|John Frederick Herbart

Thenzipout went Mr. Toads tongue, like you uncoiled the mainspring of a watch, and the fly was gone!
Left Half Harmon|Ralph Henry Barbour

British Dictionary definitions for mainspring

mainspring

/ (ˈmeɪnˌsprɪŋ) /

noun

the principal power spring of a mechanism, esp in a watch or clock

the chief cause or motive of something

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

单词	mainspring
释义	mainspring [ meyn-spring ] / ˈmeɪnˌsprɪŋ / SEE SYNONYMS FOR mainspring ON THESAURUS.COM noun the principal spring in a mechanism, as in a watch. the chief motive power; the impelling cause. Origin of mainspring First recorded in 1585–95; main¹ + spring Words nearby mainspring mains, mainsail, main sequence, main shaft, mainsheet, mainspring, main squeeze, mainstay, main stem, main store, mainstream Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for mainspring He keeps time for a year or two, and then something happens to his mainspring and he gets the sack. The Best Short Stories of 1917\|Various You would fain be thought to take no share in government, while in reality you are the mainspring of the machine. Junius Unmasked\|Joel Moody This belief was the mainspring that kept the Southern Confederacy going, as it was also the corner-stone of its constitution. Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 2 of 8\|Various It always remains the mainspring of intellectual life; when it ceases to be a motive power to thinking, thought is dead. Outlines of Educational Doctrine\|John Frederick Herbart Thenzipout went Mr. Toads tongue, like you uncoiled the mainspring of a watch, and the fly was gone! Left Half Harmon\|Ralph Henry Barbour British Dictionary definitions for mainspring mainspring / (ˈmeɪnˌsprɪŋ) / noun the principal power spring of a mechanism, esp in a watch or clock the chief cause or motive of something Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Words related to mainspring emotion, motivation, impulse, influence, idea, aim, intention, intent, rationale, consideration, passion, feeling, cause, provenance, element, motive, source, connection, ancestry, ancestor
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mainspring

noun

Origin of mainspring

Words nearby mainspring

Example sentences from the Web for mainspring

British Dictionary definitions for mainspring

noun

Words related to mainspring