gain

1 of 2

noun

ˈgān 

1

: resources or advantage acquired or increased : profit

made substantial gains last year

2

: the act or process of acquiring something

3

a

: an increase in amount, magnitude, or degree

a gain in efficiency

b

: the increase (as of voltage or signal intensity) caused by an amplifier

especially : the ratio of output over input

c

: the signal-gathering ability of an antenna

gain

2 of 2

verb

gained; gaining; gains

transitive verb

1

a

: to acquire or get possession of usually by industry, merit, or craft

gain an advantage

he stood to gain a fortune

b

: to win in competition or conflict

the troops gained enemy territory

c(1)

: to arrive at : reach, attain

gained the river that night

(2)

: traverse, cover

gained 10 yards on the play

d

: to get by a natural development or process

gain strength

e

: to establish a specific relationship with

gain a friend

2

a

: to make an increase of (a specified amount)

gained three percent in the past month

b

: to increase in (a particular quality)

gain momentum

3

: to win to one's side : persuade

gain adherents to a cause

4

: to cause to be obtained or given : attract

gain attention

5

of a timepiece : to run fast by the amount of

the clock gains a minute a day

intransitive verb

1

: to get advantage : profit

hoped to gain by the deal

2

a

: increase

the day was gaining in warmth

b

: to increase in weight

c

: to improve in health or ability

3

of a timepiece : to run fast

4

: to get closer to something pursued

—usually used with on or upon

gainer noun

Phrases

gain ground

: to make progress

Synonyms

Noun

• accretion
• accrual
• addendum
• addition
• augmentation
• boost
• expansion
• increase
• increment
• more
• plus
• proliferation
• raise
• rise
• step-up
• supplement
• uptick

Verb

• build up
• gather
• grow (in)
• pick up

Examples of gain in a Sentence

Noun

The medication can cause nausea and weight gain.

attributed her recent weight gain to the medication she was taking

Verb

They stand to gain an advantage over their competitors by getting an early start.

What do you hope to gain from this?

gain control of the territory

Investigators are trying to gain access to the group's financial records.

We were unable to gain admission to the club.

We need to gain a better understanding of the problem.

They had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

He first gained attention as a young writer.

Her theories are slowly gaining acceptance.

I took the job to gain experience.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In fact, shoppers cut their buying in October, ending six straight months of gains. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 24 Nov. 2023

The Hang Seng Mainland Properties Index, which tracks Chinese property developers, rose 4.3% on Thursday morning, lifting gains this week to 9.1%. CIFI Holdings surged 55% and Sino-Ocean Group gained 28%, while Country Garden Holdings , , , and all gained between 11% and 18%. —Jiahui Huang, WSJ, 23 Nov. 2023

That would make for a 2 percent annual gain the next two years — significantly lower than the double-digit increases seen during the pandemic. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2023

Hiking 8 flat miles, for example, bears no resemblance to hiking 8 miles over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. —Diana Helmuth, Outdoor Life, 22 Nov. 2023

For the second straight month, broadcast networks increased their share of TV use — and for the second straight month, sports was the primary driver of those gains. —Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2023

Stafford missed a wide-open Henderson on a sideline route that would have resulted in a long gain, possibly a touchdown. —Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023

While EVs are overall much greener than internal combustion engine cars, battery manufacture can undermine some of the gains. —The Conversation, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023

The Character All Of It Billionaire Quek Leng Chan’s Hong Leong, TPG To Buy Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare For $1.2 Billion There are now lots of opportunities to ride these closing discounts to gains in CEFs. —Michael Foster, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

Verb

Subscribers, or anyone who signs up for a free 30-day trial of Prime, can gain access to exclusive discounts in every department: home, electronics, furniture, kitchen, fashion, toys, and more. —Jessica Leigh Mattern, Peoplemag, 27 Nov. 2023

The streaming platform has gained an even more competitive edge in recent months with the addition of dozens of new titles. —Rudie Obias, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023

Sunday, the defense did the same to Cincinnati, only got a much bigger assist from a Steelers offense that, in its first performance since Tomlin dismissed coordinator Matt Canada, ended its 58-game run of failing to gain 400 yards. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2023

But how does interrupting a joyous Thanksgiving parade gain these protesters any more followers? —Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%, or 117 points. —Charley Grant, WSJ, 24 Nov. 2023

Many metropolitan bus systems already subsidize almost the entire cost of bus operations, so the zero fare business case is to cover the rest of those costs without using fares, and thereby gain more ridership, faster transit service, more value for our regional transit investments and more equity. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 23 Nov. 2023

Gwyneth Paltrow may have lost half a day of skiing, but she’s gained a musical based on her recent courtroom adventure. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Nov. 2023

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gained 2.5%, supported by electronics stocks. —Clarence Leong, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gain, borrowed from Anglo-French gain, gaigne, gaaing "tillage, winning, profit," derivative of gaainer, gaaigner "to till, secure (profit, advantage)" — more at gain entry 2

Note: See note at gain entry 2.

Verb

Middle English gaynen "to prevail against," borrowed from Anglo-French gaainer, gaaigner "to cultivate, till, secure (profit, advantage), capture, acquire, be victorious," going back to Old Low Franconian *waiđanjan, of uncertain meaning and origin

Note: The presumed Old Low Franconian verb *waiđanjan has no exact counterpart in neighboring Germanic languages, and given the diverse meanings of the French verb, hypotheses that explain it are all somewhat tenuous. The base has traditionally been taken to be that of Old High German weida "pasture," Old Saxon weiđa, from which a verb meaning "to pasture" was derived, which then hypothetically developed the sense "to cultivate, till" and further derived senses. Alternatively, the verb could be linked to Old High German weidenōn "to hunt," a derivative of weida "hunt, quantity of game taken, catch" (corresponding to Old English wāth "hunt, chase, wandering," Old Norse veiðr "catch, haul of fish"). In Middle English both the noun and verb are presumed to have crossed with borrowings of Old Norse gagn "advantage, victory." Early Modern English gain has acquired senses directly from Middle French and French gagner.

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing gain

• gain/get access to
• gain time
• gain/gather steam
• gain ground
• gain the lead
• gain weight
• no gain without pain
• gather/gain momentum
• gain ground on
• no pain, no gain
• get/have/gain a/the jump on
• capital gain
• gain on

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• gain/get access to
• gain time
• gain/gather steam
• gain ground
• gain the lead
• gain weight
• no gain without pain
• gather/gain momentum
• gain ground on
• no pain, no gain
• get/have/gain a/the jump on
• capital gain
• gain on

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Kids Definition

gain

1 of 2 noun

ˈgān 

1

: resources or advantage acquired or increased : profit

financial gains

2

: an increase in amount, size, or degree

a gain in weight

gain

2 of 2 verb

1

a

: to get possession of often by effort : earn

gain an advantage

b

: to win in competition or conflict

gain a victory

c

: to get by a natural development or process

gain strength

d

: to arrive at

the swimmer gained the shore

2

: to win to one's side : persuade

3

: to increase in

gain momentum

4

: to run fast

my watch gains a minute a day

5

: to get advantage : profit

hoped to gain from the deal

6

a

: increase entry 1 sense 1

the day was gaining in warmth

b

: to increase in weight

c

: to improve in health

gainer noun

Medical Definition

gain

intransitive verb

ˈgān 

: to improve in health

the patient gained daily

Legal Definition

gain

noun

1

: an increase in value, capital, or amount compare loss

— capital gain

: a gain realized on the sale or exchange of a capital asset (as a stock or real estate)

— casualty gain

: a gain realized by an insured because property insurance benefits paid for a loss from a casualty or theft are greater than the adjusted value of the insured asset

— long-term capital gain

: a capital gain realized on the sale or exchange of an asset held for more than a specified period (as a year)

— ordinary gain

: a gain from the exchange or sale of an asset that is not capital

— short-term capital gain

: a capital gain realized on the sale or exchange of an asset held for less than a specified period (as a year) that is treated as ordinary income under federal income tax laws

2

plural, in the civil law of Louisiana : a class of community property that reflects the increase in property value contributed by the common skill or labor of the spouses

gain verb