gain

[geyn]

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gain ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to 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.

verb (used without object)

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.

noun

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

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

1425–75; late Middle English (noun) < Middle French, contraction of Old French gaaing, noun derivative of gaaignier to till, earn, win < Germanic; compare Old High German weidanōn to hunt, forage for food

Related formsgain·a·ble, adjectiveun·gain·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms for gain

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gain ON THESAURUS.COM

1. procure. Gain, attain, earn, win imply obtaining a reward or something advantageous. Gain carries the least suggestion of method or of effort expended. Attain emphasizes the reaching of a goal. Earn emphasizes the exertions and labor expended that deserve reward. Win emphasizes attainment in spite of competition or opposition. 7. attain. 13. addition, increment, acquisition.

Antonyms for gain

1. lose.

gain

[geyn]Carpentry.

noun

a notch, dado, or mortise cut into a piece of wood, as to receive another piece or to house a flap of a hinge.

tusk(def 4).

a short rabbet, for receiving a flap of a butt hinge.

verb (used with object)

to make a gain or gains in.

to fasten or support by means of a gain.

Origin of gain

1670–80; perhaps akin to obsolete gane, Old English (north) ganian to yawn, open

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gaining

secure, obtain, attain, have, make, grow, increase, score, boost, achieve, get, reach, produce, promote, reap, realize, expand, improve, advance, earn

Examples from the Web for gaining

Contemporary Examples of gaining

Consumers are also gaining the ability to take the designs into their own hands as 3D printing becomes more accessible.
What, and Who, You'll Be Wearing in 2015
Justin Jones
December 27, 2014
Later studies showed that only gaining weight and the return of natural menstruation help improve bone density.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder
Carrie Arnold
December 20, 2014
Sudan has been plagued by years of political instability, which has prevented tourism from gaining traction.
Egypt Ain’t The Only Pyramid Show In Town
Nina Strochlic
December 11, 2014
Gaining access to them can be fairly easy, which could make them more vulnerable to attack, researchers say.
How Your Pacemaker Will Get Hacked
Kaiser Health News
November 17, 2014
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

Historical Examples of gaining

The arts, as well as the arms of the enemy, were gaining the ascendancy there.
The Life of Horatio Lord Nelson
Robert Southey
They know that yours is a gaining and theirs a losing cause.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VII (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
At Canfield there was little opportunity for gaining book knowledge.
Cleveland Past and Present
Maurice Joblin
To love it in an example was the best, perhaps the only way of gaining possession of it.
Albert Durer
T. Sturge Moore
Say,” he went on, gaining confidence from the sound of his own voice, “it was like this.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for gaining

GAIN

n acronym for (in Canada)

Guaranteed Annual Income

gain

verb

(tr) to acquire (something desirable); obtain

(tr) to win in competitionto gain the victory

to increase, improve, or advancethe 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; reachthe 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 amountthis 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

noun

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

Word Origin for gain

C15: from Old French gaaignier, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German weidenen to forage, hunt

gain

noun

a notch, mortise, or groove, esp one cut to take the flap of a butt hinge

verb

(tr) to cut a gain or gains in

Word Origin for gain

C17: of obscure origin

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

Word Origin and History for gaining

gain

late 15c., from Middle French gain, from Old French gaaigne "gain, profit, advantage; booty; arable land" (12c.), from gaaignier "to gain" (see gain (v.)). The original French sense enfolded the notions of "profit from agriculture" and "booty, prey." Implied earlier in Middle English gaignage (late 14c.) "profit from agriculture."

gain

1520s, from Middle French gagner, from Old French gaaignier "to earn, gain; trade; capture, win," also "work in the fields, cultivate land," from Frankish *waidanjan "hunt, forage," also "graze, pasture," from Proto-Germanic *wartho "hunting ground" (cf. Old English waþ "hunting," German Weide "pasture, pasturage," Old Norse veiðr "hunting, catch of fish"), from PIE *weie- "to strive after, pursue with vigor, desire" (see venison). Related: Gained; gaining. To gain on "advance nearer" is from 1719. To gain ground (1620s) was originally military.