English Explanatory Dictionary

gain

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To acquire possession of.
  2. To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.
  3. To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.
  4. To increase.
  5. To grow more likely to catch or overtake someone.
  6. To reach.
  7. To draw into any interest or party; to win to one’s side; to conciliate.
  8. To put on weight.
  9. To run fast, often by a specified amount.
noun
  1. The act of gaining; acquisition.
  2. The thing or things gained.
  3. The factor by which a signal is multiplied.
prep
  1. Against.
adj
  1. Straight, direct; near; short.
  2. Suitable; convenient; ready.
  3. Easy; tolerable; handy, dexterous.
  4. Honest; respectable; moderate; cheap.
adv
  1. Straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.
  2. Suitably; conveniently; dexterously; moderately.
  3. Tolerably; fairly.
noun
  1. A square or bevelled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

gān /ɡeɪn/ en-us-gain.ogg

Word forms

gain gains gaining gained no-table-tags glossary gain'd gainest gainedst gaineth more gain most gain

Etymology

From Middle English gayn, gain, gein (“profit, advantage”), from Old Norse gagn (“benefit, advantage, use”), from Proto-Germanic *gagną, *gaganą (“gain, profit", literally "return”), from Proto-Germanic *gagana (“back, against, in return”), a reduplication of Proto-Germanic *ga- (“with, together”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“next to, at, with, along”). Cognate with Icelandic gagn (“gain, advantage, use”), Swedish gagn (“benefit, profit”), Danish gavn (“gain, profit, success”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌴𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (gageigan, “to gain, profit”), Old Norse gegn (“ready”), dialectal Swedish gen (“useful, noteful”), Latin cum (“with”); see gain-, again, against. Compare also Middle English gaynen, geinen (“to be of use, profit, avail”), Icelandic and Swedish gagna (“to avail, help”), Danish gavne (“to benefit”). The Middle English word was reinforced by Middle French gain (“gain, profit, advancement, cultivation”), from Old French gaaing, gaaigne, gaigne, a noun derivative of gaaignier, gaigner (“to till, earn, win”), from Frankish *waiþanōn (“to pasture, graze, hunt for food”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *waiþiz, *waiþō, *waiþijō (“pasture, field, hunting ground”); compare Old High German weidōn, weidanōn (“to hunt, forage for food”) (Modern German Weide (“pasture”)), Old Norse veiða (“to catch, hunt”), Old English wǣþan (“to hunt, chase, pursue”). Related to wide.

Antonyms

lose loss

Derived words

gainable gainer gain ground gain line gain momentum gain on gain one's spurs gain over gain steam gain the wind gain time gain traction gain upon gain weight outgain overgain undergain ungained what you gain on the swings you lose on the roundabouts what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts autogain brain-gain brain gain capital gain gain-ground gainless gain-of-function gain of function gain-of-function research gainsharing gain-sharing gainside gain twist gainwise gainword gainworthy line to gain loss and gain are brothers twain maingain no gain without pain one man's loss is another man's gain photogain solar gain time-compensated gain time-gain compensation time-varied gain time-varied gain control weight gain gainful gainsome foregain gainand gainly ungain
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