regain

verb

re·​gain ri-ˈgān 

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

Synonyms of regain

• recapture
• retrieve
• recover
• reclaim

Examples of regain in a Sentence

our team regained the ball with just two minutes left on the clock

Recent Examples on the Web

In a darkly comic turn, the father hopes to regain enough weight post-surgery to pummel his ex-wife’s divorce lawyer. — Anna Mebel, JSTOR Daily, 17 Sep. 2026

Waiting until several payments have been missed can leave you dealing with a larger balance, more serious delinquency and fewer straightforward ways to regain control. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Video obtained by the Daily News shows the biker fall to the roadway, where he can be seen trying to regain his feet before lying down in the road’s northbound lane. — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 17 Sep. 2026

His legs and feet have begun to regain some feeling and tingling sensations. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing regain

• regain consciousness

Rhymes for regain

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

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