capital gain

noun

: the increase in value of an asset (such as stock or real estate) between the time it is bought and the time it is sold

Examples of capital gain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the national level, among other things, lawmakers can institute and reform estate and inheritance taxes; raise tax rates on capital income; tax unrealized capital gains; close regressive loopholes; and institute net wealth taxes. —Abigail Disney, Time, 20 Nov. 2025

For example, the top federal rate on long-term capital gains, 20%, is lower than the top marginal income tax rate, 37%. —Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 16 Nov. 2025

For middle-class Americans, stocks and real estate have served as gateways to the American Dream, rewarding a modest investment with a lifetime of capital gains. —Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 15 Nov. 2025

Harrell says that idea is ineffective because a city capital gains tax could easily be avoided by those who would be required to pay it. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for capital gain

• cyclopropane
• isobutane
• legerdemain
• nitromethane
• ultramontane
• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane

Legal Definition

capital gain

see gain