gain
1to get (something desired), especially as a result of one's efforts: to gain possession of an object;to gain permission to enter a country.
to acquire as an increase or addition: to gain weight;to gain speed.
to obtain as a profit: He gained ten dollars by this deal.
to win; get in competition: to gain the prize.
to win (someone) to one's own side or point of view; persuade (sometimes followed by over): to gain supporters.
(of a watch or clock) to run fast by (a specified amount): My watch gains six minutes a day.
to reach, especially by effort; get to; arrive at: to gain one's destination.
to improve; make progress; advance: to gain in health after an illness.
to get nearer, as in pursuit (usually followed by on or upon): Our horse was gaining on the favorite at the far turn.
to draw away from or farther ahead of the other contestants in a race, one's pursuers, etc. (usually followed by on or upon).
(of a watch or clock) to run fast.
profit or advantage.
an increase or advance.
gains, profits or winnings.
the act of gaining; acquisition.
Electronics.
a measure of the increase in signal amplitude produced by an amplifier, expressed as the ratio of output to input.
the effectiveness of a directional antenna as compared with a standard, nondirectional one.
the volume control of a radio, phonograph, amplifier, etc.
Idioms about gain
gain ground, to progress or advance, as in value, strength, or achievement: The company's new products are gaining ground in suburban areas.
gain time, to arrange a postponement or delay for a particular purpose, especially by roundabout means.
Origin of gain
1synonym study For gain
Other words for gain
Opposites for gain
Other words from gain
- gain·a·ble, adjective
- un·gain·a·ble, adjective
Other definitions for gain (2 of 2)
a notch, dado, or mortise cut into a piece of wood, as to receive another piece or to house a flap of a hinge.
a short rabbet, for receiving a flap of a butt hinge.
to make a gain or gains in.
to fasten or support by means of a gain.
Origin of gain
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gain in a sentence
Rather, as it’s done many times over the years, the chip industry will get creative with the design of its core product to realize gains for another decade.
Moore’s Law Lives: Intel Says Chips Will Pack 50 Times More Transistors | Jason Dorrier | August 23, 2020 | Singularity HubStocks were cruising to another day of gains on Wednesday when the Fed went and spoiled the party—well, spoiled it for most stocks not named Apple.
The Fed’s bearish outlook puts the global stocks rally on pause | Bernhard Warner | August 20, 2020 | FortuneThe market’s huge gains have been slowing in recent weeks, and many investors say the easiest gains have been made.
S&P 500 hits a new record, erasing last of pandemic losses | Verne Kopytoff | August 18, 2020 | FortuneWhile crediting liberalism for leading to the gains of the modern feminist movement, LGBT rights and the civil rights movement, it suggests almost total victory was reached in those fields by the end of the 1980s.
American Fringes: The Intellectual Dark Web Declares Its Independence | Nick Fouriezos | August 11, 2020 | OzyWhether you’re a start-up or a long-time business, your current budget influences your future financial goals and gains.
10 Reasons why marketers use data to make budgeting decisions | Kimberly Grimms | July 28, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
Consumers are also gaining the ability to take the designs into their own hands as 3D printing becomes more accessible.
Later studies showed that only gaining weight and the return of natural menstruation help improve bone density.
Sudan has been plagued by years of political instability, which has prevented tourism from gaining traction.
Gaining access to them can be fairly easy, which could make them more vulnerable to attack, researchers say.
A third group, Al-Hirak Al Janoubi, is gaining ground with calls for southern Yemen to secede.
Yemen’s a Model All Right—For Disaster | Michael Shank , Casey Harrity | November 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEvery day they are gaining more strength, as is seen by the presence of so many of them on this coast.
The expression fitted best the cruder, more sordid method of gaining possession of this woman.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensThe countess-dowager sat fanning herself quietly: for her daughter's words were gaining ground.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodBelle Ringold was very shrewd, young as she was, in the arts of gaining and holding the attention of young men.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn | Margaret PenroseShe had heard in books of girls writing poetry, romance, history—gaining fifties and hundreds.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
British Dictionary definitions for gain (1 of 3)
/ (ɡeɪn) /
(tr) to acquire (something desirable); obtain
(tr) to win in competition: to gain the victory
to increase, improve, or advance: the car gained speed; the shares gained in value
(tr) to earn (a wage, living, etc)
(intr; usually foll by on or upon)
to get nearer (to) or catch up (on)
to get farther away (from)
(tr) (esp of ships) to get to; reach: the steamer gained port
(of a timepiece) to operate too fast, so as to indicate a time ahead of the true time or to run fast by a specified amount: this watch gains; it gains ten minutes a day
gain ground to make progress or obtain an advantage
gain time
to obtain extra time by a delay or postponement
(of a timepiece) to operate too fast
something won, acquired, earned, etc; profit; advantage
an increase in size, amount, etc
the act of gaining; attainment; acquisition
Also called: amplification electronics the ratio of the output signal of an amplifier to the input signal, usually measured in decibels
Origin of gain
1- See also gains
Derived forms of gain
- gainable, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for gain (2 of 3)
/ (ɡeɪn) /
a notch, mortise, or groove, esp one cut to take the flap of a butt hinge
(tr) to cut a gain or gains in
Origin of gain
2British Dictionary definitions for GAIN (3 of 3)
/ (ɡeɪn) /
Guaranteed Annual Income
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with gain
In addition to the idiom beginning with gain
- gain ground
also see:
- ill-gotten gains
- no pain, no gain
- nothing ventured, nothing gained
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse