mainspring
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The question of appropriation is the editorial mainspring of “The Dolphin Letters.”
From The New Yorker
This was the mainspring of the anti-liberal revolt in the region.
From The Guardian
There was a box for the mainsprings, a box for the hammers, a box for the faceplates and a box for the gunpowder pans.
From BBC
The paradox is that the mainspring of Biden’s support is therefore also a form of protest voting.
From The Guardian
Hatidze’s solitude is one of the film’s prime subjects and also its dramatic mainspring, and its details and practicalities are merely hinted at, and utterly unexplored, throughout.
From The New Yorker
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.