Chief vs. Main — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Chief and Main
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Compare with Definitions
Chief
A leader or ruler of a people or clan
Chief Banawi
The chief of the village
Main
Most important; principal.
Chief
An ordinary consisting of a broad horizontal band across the top of the shield.
Main
Exerted to the utmost; sheer
"They took her off the sled by main strength" (Jack London).
Chief
Most important
Chief among her concerns is working alone at night
The chief reason for the spending cuts
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Main
(Nautical) Connected to or located near the mainmast
A main skysail.
Chief
One who is highest in rank or authority; a leader.
Main
(Obsolete) Of or relating to a continuous area or stretch, as of land or water.
Chief
A chief petty officer.
Main
The chief or largest part
His ideas are, in the main, impractical.
Chief
(Nautical) The chief engineer of a ship.
Main
The principal pipe or conduit in a system for conveying water, gas, oil, or other utility.
Chief
(Slang) A supervisor; a boss.
Main
Physical strength
Fought with might and main.
Chief
(Heraldry) The upper section of a shield.
Main
A mainland.
Chief
Highest in rank, authority, or office
The chief scientist in the lab.
Main
The open ocean.
Chief
Most important or influential
The chief ingredients in the stew. See Usage Note at absolute.
Main
A mainsail.
Chief
A leader or head of a group of people, organisation, etc.
All firefighters report to the fire chief.
Main
A mainmast.
Chief
(heraldry) The top part of a shield or escutcheon; more specifically, an ordinary consisting of the upper part of the field cut off by a horizontal line, generally occupying the top third.
Main
The main dish of a meal
"Unsurprisingly, the mains and their house-made condiments were the standouts of a recent meal" (Lindsey Tramuta).
Chief
The principal part or top of anything.
Main
Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
Chief
An informal term of address.
Main
Chief, most important, or principal in extent, size, or strength; consisting of the largest part.
Main timbers
Main branch of a river
Main body of an army
Chief
An informal term of address for a Native American or First Nations man.
Main
Full, sheer, undivided.
Chief
Primary; principal.
Negligence was the chief cause of the disaster.
Main
(dialectal) Big; angry.
Chief
(Scotland) Intimate, friendly.
Main
(nautical) Belonging to or connected with the principal mast in a vessel.
Chief
To smoke cannabis.
Main
(obsolete) Great in size or degree; important, powerful, strong, vast.
Chief
The head or leader of any body of men; a commander, as of an army; a head man, as of a tribe, clan, or family; a person in authority who directs the work of others; the principal actor or agent.
Main
Exceedingly, extremely, greatly, mightily, very, very much.
Chief
The principal part; the most valuable portion.
The chief of the things which should be utterly destroyed.
Main
To mainly play a specific character or side, or with specific equipment, during a game.
He mains the same character as me in that game.
What race do you main and what is your favourite race to beat?
For new players, I recommend maining the dagger and using the axe as a backup weapon.
Chief
The upper third part of the field. It is supposed to be composed of the dexter, sinister, and middle chiefs.
Main
(obsolete) To convert (a road) into a main or primary road.
Chief
Highest in office or rank; principal; head.
Main
That which is chief or principal; the chief or main portion; the bulk, the greater part, gross.
Chief
Principal or most eminent in any quality or action; most distinguished; having most influence; taking the lead; most important; as, the chief topic of conversation; the chief interest of man.
Main
(video gaming) The primary character that one plays in a video game in which one can play more than one character.
My WoW main has reached level cap and I’m on my way getting my first alt there as well.
Chief
Very intimate, near, or close.
A whisperer separateth chief friends.
Main
A large cable or pipe providing utility service to an area or a building, such as a water main or electric main.
Chief
A person who is in charge;
The head of the whole operation
Main
(informal) dish]] of a meal
I had scampi and chips for my main and a slice of cheesecake for dessert.
Chief
A person who exercises control over workers;
If you want to leave early you have to ask the foreman
Main
The high seas.
Chief
Most important element;
The chief aim of living
The main doors were of solid glass
The principal rivers of America
The principal example
Policemen were primary targets
Main
The mainland.
Main
(nautical) mainsail
Main
Force, power, strength, violent effort.
Main
A hand or match in a game of dice.
Main
The largest throw in a match at dice; in the game of hazard, a number from one to nine called out by a person before the dice are thrown.
Main
A stake played for at dice.
Main
A sporting contest or match, especially a cockfighting match.
Main
A banker's shovel for coins.
Main
A basket for gathering grapes.
Main
A hand or match at dice.
Main
A stake played for at dice.
Main
The largest throw in a match at dice; a throw at dice within given limits, as in the game of hazard.
Main
A match at cockfighting.
Main
A main-hamper.
Main
Strength; force; might; violent effort.
There were in this battle of most might and main.
He 'gan advance,With huge force, and with importable main.
Main
The chief or principal part; the main or most important thing.
Resolved to rest upon the title of Lancaster as the main, and to use the other two . . . but as supporters.
Main
The great sea, as distinguished from an arm, bay, etc. ; the high sea; the ocean.
With might and main they chased the murderous fox.
Main
Very or extremely strong.
That current with main fury ran.
Main
Vast; huge.
Main
Unqualified; absolute; entire; sheer.
Main
Principal; chief; first in size, rank, importance, etc.; as, the main reason to go; the main proponent.
Our main interest is to be happy as we can.
Main
Important; necessary.
That which thou arightBelievest so main to our success, I bring.
That Maine which by main force Warwick did win.
Main
Very; extremely; as, main heavy.
Main
Any very large body of (salt) water
Main
A principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage
Main
Most important element;
The chief aim of living
The main doors were of solid glass
The principal rivers of America
The principal example
Policemen were primary targets
Main
Of a clause; able to stand alone syntactically as a complete sentence;
The main (or independent) clause in a complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb
Main
Of force; of the greatest possible intensity;
By main strength
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