- 1 [transitive] to obtain or win something, especially something that you need or want gain something to gain entrance/entry/access to something The country gained its independence ten years ago. The party gained over 50% of the vote. I gained an insight into the work of a journalist. He has gained a reputation for unpredictable behaviour. gain somebody something Her unusual talent gained her worldwide recognition. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbquickly, rapidly, gradually, … verb + gainstand to, expect to, hope to, … prepositionfrom phraseshave everything, little, a lot, nothing, etc. to gain, have everything, little, a lot, nothing, etc. to be gained See full entry
- 2 [transitive, intransitive] to obtain an advantage or benefit from something or from doing something gain something (by/from something) There is nothing to be gained from delaying the decision. gain (by/from something) Who stands to gain from this decision? Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbquickly, rapidly, gradually, … verb + gainstand to, expect to, hope to, … prepositionfrom phraseshave everything, little, a lot, nothing, etc. to gain, have everything, little, a lot, nothing, etc. to be gained See full entry get more
- 3 [transitive] gain something to gradually get more of something to gain confidence/strength/experience I've gained weight recently. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbquickly, rapidly, gradually, … verb + gainstand to, expect to, hope to, … prepositionfrom phraseshave everything, little, a lot, nothing, etc. to gain, have everything, little, a lot, nothing, etc. to be gained See full entry opposite lose of watch/clock
- 4[transitive, intransitive] gain (something) to go too fast My watch gains two minutes every 24 hours. opposite lose of currencies/shares
- 5[transitive, intransitive] to increase in value gain something The shares gained 14p to 262p. gain against something The euro gained against the dollar again today. reach place
- 6[transitive] gain something (formal) to reach a place, usually after a lot of effort At last she gained the shelter of the forest. Word Originlate 15th cent. (as a noun, originally in the sense ‘booty’): from Old French gaigne (noun), gaignier (verb), of Germanic origin.Extra examples Consumers have certainly gained from the increased competition in the telecommunications industry. His ideas gradually gained acceptance. Husbands and wives of British nationals do not automatically gain citizenship. I don’t think there’s anything to be gained from this course of action. Protesters tried to gain access to the palace. The company stands to gain a lot from this government plan. The industry will gain enormously from the new proposals. There is nothing to be gained by forcing people to comply. We all gained a lot from the experience. What do you hope to gain by this action? Why not give it a go? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. At last he gained the shelter of the forest. Heavy fighting began as they gained the river. She has gained confidence since the World Championships. The party gained over 50% of the vote. There is nothing to be gained from delaying the decision. We managed to gain entry through a back window. Who stands to benefit/gain from these changes?Idioms
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BrE BrE//ɡeɪn//; NAmE NAmE//ɡeɪn//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they gain BrE BrE//ɡeɪn//; NAmE NAmE//ɡeɪn//
he / she / it gains BrE BrE//ɡeɪnz//; NAmE NAmE//ɡeɪnz//
past simple gained BrE BrE//ɡeɪnd//; NAmE NAmE//ɡeɪnd//
past participle gained BrE BrE//ɡeɪnd//; NAmE NAmE//ɡeɪnd//
-ing form gaining BrE BrE//ˈɡeɪnɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈɡeɪnɪŋ//
to become more powerful or successful Sterling continues to gain ground against the dollar.
to delay something so that you can have more time to make a decision, deal with a problem, etc.
(saying) used to say that you have to take risks if you want to achieve things and be successful Phrasal Verbsgain ingain on
Check pronunciation: gain
