gain ground
Idioms-
Advance, make progress; also, win acceptance. For example, The new conservation policy is gaining ground among the voters . This expression alludes to a military advance in which an army literally takes territory from the enemy. Its figurative use dates from about 1800. For an antonym, see lose ground .
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. Encroach on, advance at the expense of. For example, Door-to-door canvassing helped them gain ground on the opposition .
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.
After Wimbledon, though, Draper has only 50 points to defend for the rest of the year, and so will have the chance to gain ground rapidly.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
Europe is struggling to gain ground in the battle for AI dominance with the United States and China, which are pumping vast sums into the field and producing the most advanced models underpinning the technology.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
Netflix continued to gain ground, rising 1% to $97.24.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
Read: Here’s where AMD can gain ground in the AI chip race next year.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 13, 2026
But she always claimed she had done whatever it was she'd done to gain ground for us all.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
