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Meaning of gain in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  3. Noun
    1. Definitions
  1. Pronunciation

    /ɡeɪn/

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  1. Verb

    gain

    Etymology

    late 15th century (as a noun, originally in the sense ‘booty’): from Old French gaigne (noun), gaignier (verb), of Germanic origin

    Definitions

    1. obtain

    Examples

    • « derive pleasure from one's garden »
  2. 2. win something through one's efforts

    Examples

    • « I acquired a passing knowledge of Chinese »
    • « Gain an understanding of international finance »

    Antonyms

    • lose

    Derived terms

    • achiever
    • gainer
    • profits
    • succeeder
    • success
    • win
    • winner
    • winning
    • winnings
  3. 3. derive a benefit from

    Examples

    • « She profited from his vast experience »

    Derived terms

    • benefit
    • gainer
    • profit
    • welfare
  4. 4. reach a destination, either real or abstract

    Examples

    • « We hit Detroit by noon »
    • « The water reached the doorstep »
    • « We barely made it to the finish line »
    • « I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts »

    Derived terms

    • attainment
  5. 5. obtain advantages, such as points, etc.

    Examples

    • « The home team was gaining ground »
    • « After defeating the Knicks, the Blazers pulled ahead of the Lakers in the battle for the number-one playoff berth in the Western Conference »

    Antonyms

    • fall back
    • lose
    • drop off
    • fall behind
    • recede

    Derived terms

    • gainer
    • win
  6. 6. rise in rate or price

    Examples

    • « The stock market gained 24 points today »

    Derived terms

    • advance
    • rise
  7. 7. increase in

    Examples

    • « gain momentum »
    • « gain nerve »
  8. 8. earn on some commercial or business transaction

    Examples

    • « earn as salary or wages »
    • « How much do you make a month in your new job? »
    • « She earns a lot in her new job »
    • « this merger brought in lots of money »
    • « He clears $5,000 each month »

    Derived terms

    • earner
    • gainer
    • wage earner
  9. 9. increase (one's body weight)

    Examples

    • « She gained 20 pounds when she stopped exercising »

    Antonyms

    • reduce
    • melt off
    • lose weight
    • slim
    • slenderize
    • thin
    • slim down

    Derived terms

    • gainer
    • weight gainer
  10. Noun

    gain

    Definitions

    1. a quantity that is added

    Examples

    • « there was an addition to property taxes this year »
    • « they recorded the cattle's gain in weight over a period of weeks »

    Derived terms

    • increase
  11. 2. the advantageous quality of being beneficial

    Derived terms

    • benefit
    • profit
  12. 3. the amount of increase in signal power or voltage or current expressed as the ratio of output to input
  13. 4. the amount by which the revenue of a business exceeds its cost of operating

    Antonyms

    • loss
    • red ink
    • red

Famous quotes

  • « In order to gain the respect of your players in the locker room, you can't just perform on Saturday. You have to do it consistently during practices, meetings, and in the weight room. »
    Junior Seau
  • « Taking it in its wider and generic application, I understand faith to be the supplement of sense or, to change the phrase, all knowledge which comes not to us through our senses we gain by faith in others. »
    Matthew Simpson
  • « All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don't discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others. »
    Danny Thomas
  • « Well, the whole story is in the book, but the short answer is that I was the first information architect in an organization that was traditionally design-oriented, and I felt I needed a tool to help me gain the trust and support of my colleagues. »
    Jesse James Garrett
  • « The mandate you go with is intimidating and also is a source of respect that you gain, because you have come with this mandate from the United Nations. »
    Lakhdar Brahimi

Browse dictionary

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