1
as in gathering
to gradually increase in
our hopes were raised as the movement gained strength
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in earning
to receive as return for effort
gained her affections with his boyishly shy manner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in recovering
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in increasing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in achieving
to obtain (as a goal) through effort
vowed to gain control of the company by any means necessary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in persuading
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in advancing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 gaining
Hugh Leask,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
While home improvement stores are gaining interest from Halloween shoppers, 42% of shoppers still plan to hit big-box discount stores, up 5% from a year ago with 31% expecting to shop in Halloween/costume stores and 31% expecting to do some online shopping.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025
The Dash needed to win to keep alive any hope of gaining a postseason berth.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2025
Cleveland, which won despite gaining only 206 yards of total offense, improved to 2-5.
—Zac Jackson, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson and Miami Dolphins pass rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are among the names Russini reports are gaining interest from league teams.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Boise State absolutely shredded the Rebels’ leaky defense, gaining 558 yards of offense and putting together seven touchdown drives — only one of which required more than six snaps.
—Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 18 Oct. 2025
The mere threat Maye poses — after gaining 95 rushing yards in last year’s meeting — could be able to scare off crashing edge defenders.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
Whether the move is about Netflix’s push into ads, gaining a better foothold locally or retaining subscribers — or all three — is yet to be discovered.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Europe’s defense stocks were among the strong movers, with Thyssenkrupp gaining more than 8% following the spinout and IPO of its German warship manufacturer TKMS.
—Hugh Leask,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
While home improvement stores are gaining interest from Halloween shoppers, 42% of shoppers still plan to hit big-box discount stores, up 5% from a year ago with 31% expecting to shop in Halloween/costume stores and 31% expecting to do some online shopping.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025
The Dash needed to win to keep alive any hope of gaining a postseason berth.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2025
Cleveland, which won despite gaining only 206 yards of total offense, improved to 2-5.
—Zac Jackson, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson and Miami Dolphins pass rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are among the names Russini reports are gaining interest from league teams.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Boise State absolutely shredded the Rebels’ leaky defense, gaining 558 yards of offense and putting together seven touchdown drives — only one of which required more than six snaps.
—Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 18 Oct. 2025
The mere threat Maye poses — after gaining 95 rushing yards in last year’s meeting — could be able to scare off crashing edge defenders.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
Whether the move is about Netflix’s push into ads, gaining a better foothold locally or retaining subscribers — or all three — is yet to be discovered.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaining
Verb
-
There was food, laughter and the kind of joy that comes from gathering around a baby.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
While gathering evidence to help determine the cause of an explosion or fire, ATF specialists are trained not to rush in drawing conclusions, Robin said.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gehman, then a graduate student earning a doctorate in disease ecology, had heard about a mysterious illness sweeping through the Pacific coast’s iconic invertebrates.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The role players swung the Pacers’ season — and thus, even with Tyrese Haliburton earning All-NBA accolades, the role players determined the conference.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The driver is now recovering, per KBZK 7.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Boston College comes off a 41-10 thrashing at home from Clemson last week, trailing 34-10 at the half and never recovering.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The echoes of this feeling resounded clearly three centuries later in the increasing disconnect between suburban mobility and localism.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Districts saw little improvement overall, with the average score increasing by half a percentage point in both subjects.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This configuration allows the containerized launcher to work with the ship’s existing sensors, achieving full engagement capability without requiring new hardware.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The win over the Steelers likely meant more to Flacco than achieving the record.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Despite a recent plan to overhaul California’s strict insurance regulations in hopes of persuading carriers to expand coverage in fire-risk areas, many homeowners have yet to see any immediate changes.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
18 Oct. 2025
-
This misrepresentation appears to have been a central element in persuading Craig Lampley to agree to transfer ownership.—
Daniel Bice,
jsonline.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Scientists continued the effort, eventually accumulating data from upward of 7,000 healthy individuals.—
Carrie Arnold,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Outer lanes are more prone to accumulating water.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Oc Register,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The combo is a winning recipe that has kept this neighborhood favorite happily busy since 1993.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
-
On one hand, winning another chip will be at the forefront, so managing players toward the end of the regular season would be logical.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaining. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share