gain

1 of 2

noun

1
: resources or advantage acquired or increased : profit
made substantial gains last year
2
: the act or process of acquiring something
3
a
: an increase in amount, magnitude, or degree
a gain in efficiency
b
: the increase (as of voltage or signal intensity) caused by an amplifier
especially : the ratio of output over input
c
: the signal-gathering ability of an antenna

gain

2 of 2

verb

gained; gaining; gains

transitive verb

1
a
: to acquire or get possession of usually by industry, merit, or craft
gain an advantage
he stood to gain a fortune
b
: to win in competition or conflict
the troops gained enemy territory
c(1)
: to arrive at : reach, attain
gained the river that night
(2)
: traverse, cover
gained 10 yards on the play
d
: to get by a natural development or process
gain strength
e
: to establish a specific relationship with
gain a friend
2
a
: to make an increase of (a specified amount)
gained three percent in the past month
b
: to increase in (a particular quality)
gain momentum
3
: to win to one's side : persuade
gain adherents to a cause
4
: to cause to be obtained or given : attract
gain attention
5
of a timepiece : to run fast by the amount of
the clock gains a minute a day

intransitive verb

1
: to get advantage : profit
hoped to gain by the deal
2
a
: increase
the day was gaining in warmth
b
: to increase in weight
c
: to improve in health or ability
3
of a timepiece : to run fast
4
: to get closer to something pursued
usually used with on or upon
gainer noun
Phrases
gain ground
: to make progress

Examples of gain in a Sentence

Noun The medication can cause nausea and weight gain. attributed her recent weight gain to the medication she was taking Verb They stand to gain an advantage over their competitors by getting an early start. What do you hope to gain from this? gain control of the territory Investigators are trying to gain access to the group's financial records. We were unable to gain admission to the club. We need to gain a better understanding of the problem. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain. He first gained attention as a young writer. Her theories are slowly gaining acceptance. I took the job to gain experience.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time is pushed down to No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, despite a gain (less than 1%) to 68,000 equivalent album units earned. Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 17 Mar. 2024 Those gains, though, were offset by a 1.2% drop in sales at Family Dollar stores. Chris Morris, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 Individual schools, such as the University of Chicago – which went test-optional in 2018 – cited broader gains. Ira Porter, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 But when taking energy and food out of that equation, core final demand goods still was up 0.3% from January, matching the highest monthly gains seen within the past year. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Nonetheless, Israel has still been able to proceed and make major gains — seizing control of much of the Strip, decimating Hamas, and limiting its ability to launch rockets into Israel. The Editors, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024 Overall, the campus saw gains in California first-year applicants to 88,392 applications, up 4.1%, and transfers to 19,371, a 12.3% increase. Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Apple previously made a lot of gains during its launch period last year. Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 Brands value consistency as a sign of commitment and reliability, essential for long-term partnerships that also grow in their financial gains over time. King Holder, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
The letter published with 450 signatures on Monday, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and gained an additional 500-plus signees by Tuesday morning. Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 0.4%, while the dollar was steady at about 150 yen. Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 These issues have fueled the view that in the car world there's simply no substitute for the experience gained from making vehicles for a century, like, say, BMW has. Jeremy White, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024 Industry experts stressed that the companies have contracts with the U.S. government, and would not gain from doing business with Russia under the table. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2024 Four-year-old rumors that Prince William had an affair with Lady Rose Hanbury are gaining some mainstream traction in 2024. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2024 So that would be my argument in the court of emotions for why Troy has the most to lose and the most to gain emotionally from Joy's disappearance and reemergence. Lizzie Hyman, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024 In September, the 34-year-old from Belarus relocated to Irvine with her son and gained membership in USA Track & Field after not being able compete as a result of her protesting election fraud in her native country. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2024 In the context of the contemporary movement language, some artists reminisce while others share wisdom gained through experience. Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gain, borrowed from Anglo-French gain, gaigne, gaaing "tillage, winning, profit," derivative of gaainer, gaaigner "to till, secure (profit, advantage)" — more at gain entry 2

Note: See note at gain entry 2.

Verb

Middle English gaynen "to prevail against," borrowed from Anglo-French gaainer, gaaigner "to cultivate, till, secure (profit, advantage), capture, acquire, be victorious," going back to Old Low Franconian *waiđanjan, of uncertain meaning and origin

Note: The presumed Old Low Franconian verb *waiđanjan has no exact counterpart in neighboring Germanic languages, and given the diverse meanings of the French verb, hypotheses that explain it are all somewhat tenuous. The base has traditionally been taken to be that of Old High German weida "pasture," Old Saxon weiđa, from which a verb meaning "to pasture" was derived, which then hypothetically developed the sense "to cultivate, till" and further derived senses. Alternatively, the verb could be linked to Old High German weidenōn "to hunt," a derivative of weida "hunt, quantity of game taken, catch" (corresponding to Old English wāth "hunt, chase, wandering," Old Norse veiðr "catch, haul of fish"). In Middle English both the noun and verb are presumed to have crossed with borrowings of Old Norse gagn "advantage, victory." Early Modern English gain has acquired senses directly from Middle French and French gagner.

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of gain was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near gain

Cite this Entry

“Gain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gain. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gain

1 of 2 noun
1
: resources or advantage acquired or increased : profit
financial gains
2
: an increase in amount, size, or degree
a gain in weight

gain

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to get possession of often by effort : earn
gain an advantage
b
: to win in competition or conflict
gain a victory
c
: to get by a natural development or process
gain strength
d
: to arrive at
the swimmer gained the shore
2
: to win to one's side : persuade
3
: to increase in
gain momentum
4
: to run fast
my watch gains a minute a day
5
: to get advantage : profit
hoped to gain from the deal
6
a
: increase entry 1 sense 1
the day was gaining in warmth
b
: to increase in weight
c
: to improve in health
gainer noun

Medical Definition

gain

intransitive verb
: to improve in health
the patient gained daily

Legal Definition

gain

noun
1
: an increase in value, capital, or amount compare loss
capital gain
: a gain realized on the sale or exchange of a capital asset (as a stock or real estate)
casualty gain
: a gain realized by an insured because property insurance benefits paid for a loss from a casualty or theft are greater than the adjusted value of the insured asset
long-term capital gain
: a capital gain realized on the sale or exchange of an asset held for more than a specified period (as a year)
ordinary gain
: a gain from the exchange or sale of an asset that is not capital
short-term capital gain
: a capital gain realized on the sale or exchange of an asset held for less than a specified period (as a year) that is treated as ordinary income under federal income tax laws
2
plural, in the civil law of Louisiana : a class of community property that reflects the increase in property value contributed by the common skill or labor of the spouses
gain verb

More from Merriam-Webster on gain

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