gain

GAYN/ɡeɪn/

Verbgains, gaining, gained

Noun pluralgains

22 meanings of gain

Practice

1
getverbtransitive
To acquire possession of something.
Through the merger, the company will gain several valuable patents.
The settlers gained control of the river crossing.
UsageCommon with control of, access to and experience. For money from work, earn is the usual verb.
Similaracquire, obtain, get, secure
Oppositelose, forfeit
Note
The object is whatever ends up in your hands: a friend, praise, control. The King James Bible of 1611 sets it against loss: 'gain the whole world, and lose his own soul.'
2
amount addednouncountable or uncountable
Growth in the quantity, size, weight, or value of something.
The company reported a 12 percent gain in profits over the previous year.
With the extra light, the seedlings showed steady gains in height every week.
UsageUse in for what grows and of for the amount: a gain in profits, a gain of 12 percent. Often weight gain.
Similarincrease, rise, growth, accumulation
Oppositeloss, decrease, decline, drop
3
verbtransitive or intransitive
To get more of something, such as speed, height or weight; (of a person) to put on weight.
The runners gain momentum as the race continues.
The aircraft gained altitude steadily after the climb began.
UsageUse a direct object in gain weight, gain speed, or gain confidence. For qualities, in is also possible: gain in confidence.
Note
Two constructions share this sense. With a direct object, the thing that grows is named outright: gain speed, gain altitude. With in, the subject itself grows in some quality, as in Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883): 'every day they gained in skill and strength.'
4
verbintransitive
To receive advantage or profit; to grow richer, healthier, or happier; to make progress.
Everyone stands to gain from the new trade deal.
The patient gained in strength over the following weeks.
UsageOften gain from something; stand to gain means you could profit if something happens.
Similarbenefit, profit, improve
Oppositelose, suffer
5
nouncountable or uncountable
What is acquired or won; the thing or things obtained.
The financial gain from the investment exceeded everyone's hopes.
Whatever gain they made was reinvested in the farm.
UsageOften for personal gain or financial gain; ill-gotten gains is a set phrase for money or property obtained dishonestly.
Similarprofit, return, earnings, proceeds, benefit
Oppositeloss
6
verbtransitive or intransitive
Of a price, currency, or share: to increase in value, often by a given amount or relative to another currency.
Shares of the airline gained 4 percent on Tuesday after strong holiday bookings.
Traders expect the yen to gain against the dollar if interest rates rise in Japan.
UsageThe amount usually follows directly: shares gained 4 percent. For currencies, use against: the yen gained against the dollar.
Similarrise, climb, advance, increase, appreciate
Oppositefall, drop, lose, decline
7
win oververbtransitive
To persuade a person or group to support you or to join your side or cause.
The candidate worked hard to gain undecided voters.
Over the following decades, the movement gained converts in nearly every city along the coast.
Similarwin, sway, persuade, convert
Oppositealienate
Note
Here the object is a person or a body of people, won over rather than possessed. The King James Bible of 1611 has 'thou hast gained thy brother', meaning reconciled and brought back to your side. Dryden's Virgil of 1697 pairs it with gifts: 'to gratify the queen, and gain the court.' Compare the plain 'acquire' sense: there, gaining a friend means getting one.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
The King James Bible was first published in 1611. wwwe.lib.cam.ac.uk
The Bible contains this wording in a passage about reconciliation. en.wikisource.org
Dryden's translation of Virgil was first published in 1697. en.wikisource.org
The quoted line occurs in Dryden's translation. gutenberg.org
The passage describes winning favour through gifts: Ascanius is to arrive laden with presents. gutenberg.org
8
signal boostnouncountable or uncountable
The factor by which a signal's strength is multiplied.
The amplifier's gain determines how much the input signal is boosted.
Engineers set the gain carefully to avoid distortion.
Similaramplification
Oppositeattenuation, loss
Note
In electronics, gain is a ratio of output signal to input. A gain above one amplifies the signal, a gain below one weakens it, and engineers often state the figure in decibels. On equipment it is usually a control to be set. Sound Recording Practice, the handbook edited by John Borwick, describes a control 'allowing the replay gain to be set.'
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
Electronic gain is the ratio of output signal to input signal. resource.download.wjec.co.uk
Gain greater than one represents amplification; gain less than one represents attenuation. technav.ieee.org
Engineers express gain in decibels. resource.download.wjec.co.uk
Sound Recording Practice is a handbook edited by John Borwick. libcat.canterbury.ac.nz
The handbook contains the quoted description of a replay-gain control. en.wiktionary.org

Less common meanings

9
close inverbintransitivewith on
To draw nearer to someone ahead, becoming more likely to catch or overtake them.
With every stride, the second runner began to gain.
Once the traffic thinned out, the police car began to gain on the stolen van.
UsageThe person chased comes after on: gaining on the leader. Gain ground carries the same idea of closing the distance.
Similarclose
Oppositelag
10
win a contestverbdatedtransitive
To win or be victorious in a contest; to obtain through competition.
The general expected to gain the battle by morning.
She gained the championship after years of effort.
Similarwin, secure, carry
Oppositelose
Note
Here victory itself is the object. One gains a battle, or a case at law, rather than gaining something from it. The use is dated, and win now does this work. In modern prose, gain a battle reads as deliberately old-fashioned. The sense still matters in older texts, where it is easily mistaken for simple acquiring.
11
act of gettingnoununcountable
The act of getting or winning something, rather than the thing that is obtained.
Critics accused the company of putting the pursuit of gain ahead of its workers' safety.
The steady gain of knowledge rewards the patient student.
UsageOften for gain, private gain or the pursuit of gain, often with a hint of greed.
Similaracquisition, attainment
Note
As an uncountable noun, the act of gaining easily shades into the pursuit of profit, often a censured one. Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great has soldiers 'more regarding gaine than victorie', and Tennyson writes of 'lust of gain'.
12
reachverbtransitive
To reach or arrive at a place, especially after effort.
The ship struggled to gain the harbor before the storm.
Exhausted, the hikers gained the ridge by nightfall.
Similarreach, make, attain
13
adjective
Suitable and convenient; ready to hand.
Note
The Old Norse source of the 'direct' adjective already meant 'ready' and 'serviceable', and this sense keeps that side of it. What is gain is fit for the purpose and near to hand. It is obsolete in standard English and kept only in dialect. Treat it as a word to recognize in old or regional writing, not to use, since a modern reader will hear the noun.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
The adjective gain, including its 'direct' and 'suitable' senses, derives through Middle English from Old Norse gegn, which meant 'ready' and 'serviceable'. en.wiktionary.org
14
short (path)adjective
Straight and direct; near or short in distance.
Note
A third gain arrives through Old Norse gegn, 'straight, direct, short, ready, serviceable'. Of a road, it meant the most direct one. Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur (1485) sends a rider by 'the gainest way' through marshes, fields and dales, nearly to his death. The superlative gainest shows it took -est like any ordinary adjective. It is obsolete in the standard language and lives on only in dialect.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 7 facts
The adjective and the preposition meaning 'against' share a Germanic origin; they are doublets. en.wiktionary.org
The adjective derives from Old Norse gegn with the stated meanings. en.wiktionary.org
Applied to a route, gain meant direct or short. en.wiktionary.org
Sir Thomas Malory wrote Le Morte D'Arthur, first published in 1485. en.wikipedia.org
Malory's narrative uses the exact phrase 'the gainest way' for a rider who nearly perishes. gutenberg.org
The rider crosses marshes, fields, and great dales. 'Woodness' means madness. gutenberg.org
Gainest is an adjective superlative formed with -est. en.wiktionary.org
15
adverb
By the most direct route or means, without delay; straight and fast.
16
againstprepositionobsolete
Against; in contact with, or in opposition to, something.
Note
Spelled like the gain of profit, but a different word. It is a clipped form of dialectal again or agen in their old meaning 'against', and goes back to Old English gēan. As a preposition it is obsolete and turns up only in older or dialect writing, where 'gain the barn' means up against it. Read it as the profit verb and the sentence falls apart.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
The preposition is a distinct word shortened from again or agen meaning 'against'. en.wiktionary.org
The preposition goes back to Old English gēan. en.wiktionary.org
In the illustrative phrase 'gain the barn', gain can mean against or touching. en.wiktionary.org
17
verb
Of a clock or watch: to run fast, so that it shows a later time than the correct one.
18
noun
A square or beveled notch cut into a girder, joist, or other supporting timber to receive the end of a floor beam.
19
adjectivedialectal
Easy or tolerable to manage; also, handy and skillful with the hands.
20
adjectivedialectal
Honest and respectable; also moderate in amount or low in price.
21
adverbdialectal
In a suitable, convenient, skillful, or moderate manner.
22
adverbdialectal
Tolerably or fairly; to a fair or moderate degree.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of gain apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–12

This word comes from Middle English gayn ("profit, advantage"), from Old Norse gagn ("benefit, advantage, use"), tracing back to Proto-Germanic roots meaning "return." The Middle English word was later reinforced by Middle French gain ("gain, profit"), from Old French gaaignier ("to till, earn, win"), ultimately from a Frankish word meaning "to pasture, graze, or hunt for food."

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

Gain comes from Middle English gayn, meaning profit or advantage. en.wiktionary.org
The Middle English noun comes from Old Norse gagn, meaning benefit, advantage or use. en.wiktionary.org
The Norse word traces back to reconstructed Proto-Germanic forms meaning literally return. en.wiktionary.org
Middle French gain reinforced the Middle English word. en.wiktionary.org
The French noun derives from Old French gaaignier, meaning to till, earn or win. en.wiktionary.org
The French branch ultimately derives from a Frankish verb meaning to pasture, graze or hunt for food. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 16

This comes from dialectal English gen, gin, a shortened form of again, agen ("against"); it also goes back to Middle English gain ("against") and Old English gēan, geġn ("against").

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Gain comes from dialectal English gen or gin, shortened forms of again or agen meaning ‘against’. en.wiktionary.org
Gain also derives from Middle English gain meaning ‘against’. en.wiktionary.org
The Middle English form derives from Old English gēan or geġn meaning ‘against’. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 13–15

Old Norse gegn ("straight, direct, short, ready, serviceable, kindly") gave Middle English gayn ("straight, direct, short, fit, good"), and English has it from there. The adverb grew out of that Middle English adjective.