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.
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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:
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
Kiplimo ran 57:20 in Lisbon earlier this year but Kejelcha has now knocked 29 seconds off that time to regain the record, subject to official ratification.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
This is thought to contribute to weight regain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
Moderna has been trying to regain financial ground after years of consecutive losses since the Covid-19 pandemic started to wane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Because of her castle, she was able to escape the popular uprising and to wait until help arrived from Milan in order to regain her state.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
These are the moments when Gallego regains hope, but the seconds pass and no answers come from below.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
She regains her ability to fly but is never able to communicate with Jiji again.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Instead of responding only after a treatment fails, doctors may eventually be able to anticipate resistance and act before the tumor regains strength.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
It’s through Robbie’s act of mercy that Tom regains faith.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Duke grabs the stick and regains control of the aircraft.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Since then, ServiceNow shares have regained some ground—they are up about 25% in the last six months—but they remain down about 33% from their 52-week high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
As of Thursday, she was in critical condition and receiving intensive care, though she’d regained some of her feisty energy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The clips were among thousands of reels, memes and first-person dispatches that flooded Instagram once protesters regained internet access.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
I regained my vision and saw that she was letting water from the faucet slowly run through her fingers.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
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
Just a few minutes later, as I was regaining my composure, I noticed the smell of smoke, an acrid odor I couldn’t quite place.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
