GAIN(S) Synonyms: 263 Similar and Opposite Words

gains 1 of 2

verb

Definition of gains next

present tense third-person singular of gain

as in gathers

to gradually increase in our hopes were raised as the movement gained strength

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as in wins

to receive as return for effort gained her affections with his boyishly shy manner

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as in recovers

to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness is steadily gaining after his bout with the flu and will be back on his feet soon

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as in increases

to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number the new version of the car gained in both width and length compared to the earlier model

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as in achieves

to obtain (as a goal) through effort vowed to gain control of the company by any means necessary

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as in convinces

to cause (someone) to agree with a belief or course of action by using arguments or earnest request the radical party was able to gain some supporters with intense recruitment on college campuses

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gains

2 of 2

noun

plural of gain

as in revenue

an increase usually measured in money that comes from labor, business, or property net gains this year were better than last

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of gains

Verb

And as analytics capabilities improve, old data gains new meaning. —

Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026 Even if a party besides the junta’s proxy party, the Union Solidarity & Development Party, gains a foothold in the election, the military is already guaranteed a quarter of the seats in both houses of parliament under the 2008 constitution. —

Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 Jan. 2026 One rarely gains a sense of what people look like (beyond the son’s bulky physique and shambling movements, in which the mother ‘caught a flash of her brother’). —

Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026 Stevenson gains yards and Henderson has been getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage. —

Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 21 Jan. 2026 Anyone who purchases a rodeo ticket also gains same-day access to the Stock Show grounds. —

Brayden Garcia january 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Jan. 2026 Washington, meanwhile, gains a high-usage playmaker to elevate an offense currently ranked near the bottom of the league in guard production and efficiency, though the Wizards are not expected to pursue an immediate extension until evaluating Young's health following recent knee and quad injuries. —

Sam Crenshaw, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026 Private healing gains power as Venus meets Mars in your 12th House of Solitude. —

Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Jan. 2026 But our fear is that while the big movies might get bigger, the mid-size to smaller movies will continue to see the bottom fall out, and the overall box office gains year-to-year will be modest. —

Brian Welk, IndieWire, 6 Jan. 2026

Noun

By leveraging a four-day workweek as an incentive, thousands of organizations around the world—including hundreds in the United States—have been able to find sufficient gains to more than make up for the loss in hours. —

Joe O’Connor, Time, 13 Jan. 2026 The Texans stifled the Steelers rushing attack and harassed Aaron Rodgers so extensively — sacking him four times, hitting him 12 times — that the future Hall of Fame quarterback scarcely had time to wait for plays to develop and repeatedly dumped the ball off for short gains. —

Mike Jones, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026 The Journal‘s Borchers noted hybrid creep is nearing a tipping point, as the badge-swipe company Kastle Systems’ back-to-work barometer has posted year-over-year gains in each of the past six months, and over 50% attendance is the norm as of early 2026, a new high over 2025’s attendance. —

Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026 Similar experiments have shown that hardware optimized for specific mathematical functions can deliver large speed gains over conventional processors. —

Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 13 Jan. 2026 The researchers attributed the gains to better detection and treatment, as well as cutbacks in smoking. —

Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2026 The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 bars members and their families from using nonpublic information to make gains. —

Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026 Beck capitalized on that to get shorter gains and set up more manageable third-down situations. —

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026 Women’s labor force participation rates slumped in 2025, reversing some historic gains seen post-pandemic. —

David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gains

Verb

Every December, the global travel industry gathers to discuss that very question (and more) at the International Luxury Travel Marketplace (ILTM) in Cannes, France.

— Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
As the Chinese men shoot the breeze and play cards, a mob of armed white miners gathers over the hill and encroaches on the unsuspecting outsiders.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026