main stem
noun
: a main trunk or channel: such as
a
: the main course of a river or stream
b
: the main street of a city or town
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web One of the biggest changes is that there’s a tremendous amount of sediment that flows down the river every year that has dropped out in tributary canyons in the main stem of the Colorado River. 
Bethany Baker, The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Aug. 2022 The Karuk Tribe said in a statement that multiple species of fish were found belly up Friday near Happy Camp, California, along the main stem of the Klamath River. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 7 Aug. 2022 Use a potato fork or shovel to loosen soil all around the clump, working at least 1 foot away from the main stem. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2022 Most bodies of water in the Neponset River Watershed received A’s and B’s, with the recreation-heavy main stem of the Neponset River receiving results in the B range and all of the rivers’ monitored ponds receiving A grades. Anjali Huynh, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2022 To establish plantings, be sure to drip irrigate the root ball margin and out from there, not at the base of the main stem. Lynlee Austell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2022 Prune plants to remove leaves on the lower 6 to 12 inches of the main stem. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2022 Suckers grow in the intersection between the main stem and main leaf branches. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2022 Because of levees built to contain its flow, the Rio Grande now courses mostly through a narrow channel, rather than expanding broadly across the landscape, which disconnects the main stem from its many side channels. Jim Robbins, Wired, 25 June 2022 See More
Bethany Baker, The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Aug. 2022 The Karuk Tribe said in a statement that multiple species of fish were found belly up Friday near Happy Camp, California, along the main stem of the Klamath River. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 7 Aug. 2022 Use a potato fork or shovel to loosen soil all around the clump, working at least 1 foot away from the main stem. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2022 Most bodies of water in the Neponset River Watershed received A’s and B’s, with the recreation-heavy main stem of the Neponset River receiving results in the B range and all of the rivers’ monitored ponds receiving A grades. Anjali Huynh, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2022 To establish plantings, be sure to drip irrigate the root ball margin and out from there, not at the base of the main stem. Lynlee Austell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2022 Prune plants to remove leaves on the lower 6 to 12 inches of the main stem. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2022 Suckers grow in the intersection between the main stem and main leaf branches. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2022 Because of levees built to contain its flow, the Rio Grande now courses mostly through a narrow channel, rather than expanding broadly across the landscape, which disconnects the main stem from its many side channels. Jim Robbins, Wired, 25 June 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1671, in the meaning defined above