regain
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
The Inglewood school district is set to regain control of its local public schools next year — after the longest state takeover of a school system in California history, officials announced Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Julius Baer sees room for gold prices to regain lost ground, as the Swiss private bank reckons the Fed is unlikely to raise its interest rates while the dollar could weaken.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Aang befriended Zuko, an exiled Fire Nation prince who at first hunted Aang to regain his father’s approval before joining his quarry’s mission to restore peace.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Investors are still skewed away from value stocks, “suggesting investors remain under-positioned for a world in which physical assets, infrastructure and industrial capacity regain strategic importance,” the team says.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Nathan jumped down and walked around to regain feeling in his feet.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
The result was the clear identity of a side less concerned about dominating the ball and more focused on controlling games through pressure, regains and rapid transitions.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
“Land” regains traction when it returns to Ireland and to its mythic theme, which meanders from the Neolithic era to the 20th century, with detours to more fantastical regions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
They will often be the leaders out of the gate once the market regains its footing.
From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026
After Alani regains her composure, they reenter and quickly befriend Wood, who plays an exaggerated, borderline agoraphobic version of himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025
“Hume means everything to us. Unless he recovers quickly and regains condition we won’t have much chance,” Ulbrickson had griped to the Associated Press a week before.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
The agency regained stability only after the Senate confirmed new commissioners in 2019.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
In March, San Francisco regained its title as the most expensive city for homebuyers in the US, overtaking rival San Jose 50 miles to the south in the heart of traditional Silicon Valley.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
As they regained the upper hand, forces still needed more than an hour to move crowds across the vast grassy lawn.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
Spinoffs have regained popularity recently in the world of media and entertainment, as companies work to reposition themselves to face the challenges brought by changing consumer habits and technology.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
And Flint, now that he had his mother’s undivided attention, quickly regained his former high spirits.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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 Opta numbers show a team intent on regaining possession high up the pitch.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
The process of regaining access to their land was slow, but they eventually settled back in, and operated the farm until losing their lease in 1961.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Once there, I offered myself as a crutch to Bear, which he accepted, though I sensed that he was regaining something of his old strength.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
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.
