regain
Americanverb (used with object)
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regains,
present (3rd person singular)
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regained,
past participle, past
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regaining
present participle
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to get again; recover.
to regain one's health.
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to succeed in reaching again; get back to.
to regain the shore.
noun
verb
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to take or get back; recover
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to reach again
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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regainernoun
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half-regainedadjective
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regainableadjective
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unregainableadjective
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unregainedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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regainsimple
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regainssimple
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have regainedperfect
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has regainedperfect
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am regainingprogressive
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are regainingprogressive
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is regainingprogressive
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have been regainingperfect progressive
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has been regainingperfect progressive
Past
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regainedsimple
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had regainedperfect
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was regainingprogressive
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were regainingprogressive
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had been regainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of regain
Explanation
After you get off of a crazy carnival ride, you'll probably have to regain your balance, or get it back. Any time you've lost something and want to recover it, you hope to regain it. If your friend is furious with you because you didn't keep a secret she told you, you'll probably try to regain her trust and as a result, regain her friendship.
Vocabulary lists containing regain
Hole in My Life
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Messenger
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Counting by 7s
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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.
See Examples For:
Just four months after Arsenal won the Premier League under the ownership of US billionaire Stan Kroenke, Liverpool's hierarchy have opted for outside investment in a bid to regain the crown.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Trump-endorsed front-runner for the seat put it more bluntly still: “The fact that the Republicans have an ability to regain the seat is great. I love it.”
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
He was sent to do farm work and didn’t regain his political status until 1978, when Deng pivoted China away from Communist orthodoxy after Mao’s death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Novo has struggled to regain its footing against Lilly, an aggressive and strategic competitor in the GLP-1 market.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
The bard had managed to regain his feet and lent what effort he could.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
These are the moments when Gallego regains hope, but the seconds pass and no answers come from below.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
She regains her ability to fly but is never able to communicate with Jiji again.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
On balance, the odds that Hermès regains its footing look better than the likelihood that Richemont’s stock can go much higher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Instead of responding only after a treatment fails, doctors may eventually be able to anticipate resistance and act before the tumor regains strength.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Sergio regains control and zips up the incline that starts just inside the gate.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
He says he has now regained six of the 11kg he lost.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Fewer than four decades ago Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania regained their independence but inherited inefficient factories from the Soviet Union's command economy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
As of Thursday, she was in critical condition and receiving intensive care, though she’d regained some of her feisty energy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Shares of semiconductor companies and other names linked to the AI infrastructure build-out regained some ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Once they had slept off their exhaustion, and got used to regular meals again and regained some weight, the mood was sour or surly, even among those without permanent disabilities.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
But recently, battered tech leaders have started regaining ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Lillard was in physical therapy, occupational therapy and water therapy, trying to retain as much strength as she could, ultimately regaining partial use of her left arm and use of her legs.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
In fast-secularising South Korea, Buddhism is regaining popularity thanks to a "hip" trend wooing Gen Z with festivals, fashion, robots and DJs, even as some fear for the fundamentals of the faith.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
By the end, the Sparks spent the game playing catch-up, never regaining the lead after surrendering it in the first 49 seconds to Johnson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Since Gale is regaining consciousness, they decide on an herbal concoction he can take by mouth.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
