Gain | Mean of gain in English Dictionary

/ˈgeɪn/

• Verb
• to get (something wanted or valued)
1. They stand to gain an advantage over their competitors by getting an early start.
2. What do you hope to gain from/by this?
3. gain control of/over the territory
4. Investigators are trying to gain access to the group's financial records.
5. We were unable to gain admission/entrance/entry to the club.
6. We need to gain a better understanding of the problem.
7. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
8. He first gained attention/recognition/fame as a young writer.
9. Her theories are slowly gaining acceptance.
10. She's gaining confidence in herself. [=she is becoming more confident]
11. I took the job to gain experience.
• to win (something) in a competition, battle, etc.
1. He is still hoping to gain the party's nomination.
2. gain a victory
• to gradually get (something) or more of (something) as time passes
1. He gained 40 pounds over five years, and then lost it all in two.
2. gain weight
3. The baby is quickly gaining strength in her legs.

• to cause (someone) to have (something)
1. His recent behavior has gained [=earned] him a reputation for stubbornness.
2. Her hard work gained her their respect. [=she has gained their respect through hard work; they respect her now because of her hard work]
• to increase in (something)
1. This event gains popularity [=becomes more popular] each year.
2. The plane was gaining altitude.
3. Some of the stocks are gaining value, while others are losing value.
4. Some of the stocks are gaining, while others are losing.
5. This event gains in popularity each year
6. The stocks are gaining in value.
• to increase in value by (a specified amount)
1. The stocks gained three percent last month.
• to increase in value when compared to something else
1. The dollar gained against the pound last month.
• to get an advantage
1. The company hopes to gain [=profit] from the new regulations.
• to move the ball (a specified distance) down the field
1. They gained five yards on the last play.
• to show a time that is later than the correct time
1. The clock gains by less than a second a year.
2. The clock gains less than a second a year.
• to arrive at (a place) especially after much effort
1. The tired swimmer gained the shore at last.
• to come nearer to (someone or something that is ahead of you in a race or competition)
1. She was still leading at the halfway point, but the other runners were gaining on her.
• to cause something to be delayed so that more time is available to do what is needed
1. His lawyers are delaying the trial to gain time to prepare their defense.
• Noun
• something wanted or valued that is gotten
1. ill-gotten gains [=money and other valuable things gotten through dishonest methods]
• money gotten through some activity or process
1. financial/stock-market gains
2. economic gains
• something that is helpful
1. He acted only for his own personal/political gain. [=he acted only to benefit himself]
• an increase in amount, size, or number
1. a gain in weight
2. impressive gains [=improvements] in performance
3. They hope to make big gains in Congress in the coming election. [=they hope that many more members of their party will be elected to Congress]
4. The medication can cause nausea and weight gain.
• the distance the ball is moved down the field during a play
1. They picked up a five-yard gain on first down.