regain

verb

re·​gain ri-ˈgān How to pronounce regain (audio)
regained; regaining

transitive verb

1
: to gain (something) anew : to get (something) again : recover
She regained her health/strength.
I regained my footing/balance.
struggling to regain his composure
pulled ahead to regain the lead
Some of them regained the weight they had lost.
… was still alive and slowly regaining consciousness.Walter Isaacson
… managed to regain control of the airplane and execute a successful landing …Peter Katz
2
: to get back to (something) : to reach (something) again
After a prolonged struggle to regain the ridge, during which the only assistance my partners could offer was a tight rope, I crawled back along the path I had so recently chiseled …Jeff Lowe
… one of them was unhorsed and then, when out of view, regained his saddle.Daniel J. Boorstin

Examples of regain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After the Great Recession, tiered pay and benefits regained steam as unemployment climbed and workers’ bargaining power eroded. J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 16 Sep. 2023 But if the viruses continue to spread because vaccination coverage in an area is low, the vaccine viruses can regain the power to paralyze. Helen Branswell, STAT, 15 Sep. 2023 According to a Washington Post analysis, the labor market as a whole regained 75 percent of the 4 million workers who had dropped out of the workforce due to a range of reasons including health concerns, covid illness and death. Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023 Bitcoin’s price soared above $31,000 in response to the ETF filings from BlackRock and Fidelity, but has since slumped, never regaining the same momentum that had propelled the world’s largest cryptocurrency to its highest price in more than a year. Ben Weiss, Fortune Crypto, 12 Sep. 2023 That’s especially vital as Republicans try to regain the Senate majority, a goal that eluded them last fall. Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 11 Sep. 2023 They were pushed to the back of the plane by hijackers, then took a vote and decided to try to regain control of the aircraft, according to the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial. CBS News, 11 Sep. 2023 The Golden Gophers regained control and took a 14-13 lead, closing out with consecutive kills. oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2023 But the Orioles regained separation in the sixth inning, taking a 9-6 lead when rookie Jordan Westburg and McCann drilled back-to-back solo homers to center against reliever Zack Weiss. Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of regain was in 1569

Dictionary Entries Near regain

Cite this Entry

“Regain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regain. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

regain

verb
re·​gain
ri-ˈgān
1
: to gain or get again
regained my health
2
: to get back to : reach again
regain the shore

More from Merriam-Webster on regain

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