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.
-
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:
Others regain what was lost in months or even weeks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
Thanks to my neurologist and the NHS team looking after me, I've managed to regain my speech and reduce the amount of discomfort I'm in - but the pain can, and does, reappear.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
That asset doesn’t regain its value so easily.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Pyburn, who also went undrafted after playing three years at Florida and his senior year at LSU, can regain his college eligibility if he terminates his contract with the Bucs and repays earnings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
With that refreshment I could perhaps regain a degree of energy: without it, it would be difficult to proceed.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
She regains her ability to fly but is never able to communicate with Jiji again.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
He demands possession, regains it more often than anyone else and rarely allows the intensity of his performance to drop.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
It’s through Robbie’s act of mercy that Tom regains faith.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
“We maintain our view that it will take Pantoro numerous quarters of production inline with guidance before it regains the market’s trust,” Euroz Hartleys says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Duke grabs the stick and regains control of the aircraft.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
When the Taliban regained power, he became a governor - first in the province of Bamiyan, then when we met him in late June, in Sheberghan city in Jawzjan province.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
As if the fourth quarter weren’t wild enough, the Gaels regained the lead with 6:49 left on a 54-yard touchdown reception by Corey Hinton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
But Cross regained her place and was a regular in the Test and 50-over England side until being left out by new coach Charlotte Edwards last summer.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 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
He says the fall was twelve feet, and that Shawn began acting strangely as soon as he regained consciousness.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
The Liberal Democrats also performed strongly, regaining control of Stockport thanks to gaining seats from the Conservatives.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Like all Fed Chairmen, Mr. Warsh will be judged on whether he accomplishes the fundamental duty of regaining and maintaining stable prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
The chipmakers themselves are regaining public confidence thanks to their ability to charge up the wazoo for their very valuable output.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
The gun goes off and the girls shoot forward, finding their stride, leaping over the first hurdle, regaining their stride, leaping over the second hurdle.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
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.
