Definition of "gain"

gain¹

/ɡeɪn/

verb
third-person singular simple present gains, present participle gaining, simple past and past participle gained
1. (transitive) To acquire possession of.
  Quotations
  What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Matthew 16:26
  Another answers, ‘Let him be,⁠He loves to make parade of pain,⁠That with his piping he may gainThe praise that comes to constancy.’
  1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], canto XXI, page 35
2. (intransitive) To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.
  Quotations
  Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Ezekiel 22:12
3. (transitive, dated) To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.
4. (transitive) To increase.
  Quotations
  Then they had bouts of wrestling and of cudgel play, so that every day they gained in skill and strength.
  1883, Howard Pyle, chapter V, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […]
5. (intransitive) To be more likely to catch or overtake an individual.
6. (transitive) To reach.
  Quotations
  Ernest laughed harshly and savagely when he had gained the street.
  1908, Jack London, The Iron Heel‎, New York: The Macmillan Company
7. To draw into any interest or party; to win to one's side; to conciliate.
  Quotations
  If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Matthew 18:15
  to gratify the queen, and gain the court
  1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […]
8. (intransitive) To put on weight.
  Quotations
  Thinspo, bonespo, meanspo, sweetspo, anything that could motivate me not to eat, not to consume, not to gain, not to fail.
  2020, Riley Willman, “Ana”, in Rapids Review (Anoka Ramsey Community College)
9. (of a clock or watch) To run fast.
noun
countable and uncountable, plural gains
1. The act of gaining; acquisition.
  Quotations
  All running headlong after greedie ſpoiles:And more regarding gaine than victorie:
  c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, (please specify the page)
  the lust of gain, in the spirit of Cain
  1855, Alfred Tennyson, Maude
  When power is sought primarily for private gain, the social fabric decays and unravels.
  2023 June 25, Charles Hugh Smith, The Corruption of POTUS, SCOTUS and SCROTUS‎
2. The thing or things gained.
  Quotations
  Everyone shall share in the gains.
  c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene i]
3. (electronics) The factor by which a signal is multiplied.
  Quotations
  There follows the high and low-frequency replay equalization, which normally involves two adjustments with a further control allowing the replay gain to be set.
  1987, John Borwick, Sound recording practice, page 238

gain²

/ɡeɪn/

preposition
1. (obsolete) Against.

gain³

/ɡeɪn/

adjective
comparative more gain, superlative most gain
1. (obsolete) Straight, direct; near; short.
  Quotations
  [...] many times his horse and he plunged over the head in deep mires, for he knew not the way, but took the gainest way in that woodness, that many times he was like to perish.
  1485 July, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter XX, in William Caxton, editor, Le Morte D’Arthur‎, volume 1
2. (obsolete) Suitable; convenient; ready.
3. (dialectal) Easy; tolerable; handy, dexterous.
4. (dialectal) Honest; respectable; moderate; cheap.
adverb
comparative more gain, superlative most gain
1. (obsolete) Straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.
2. (dialectal) Suitably; conveniently; dexterously; moderately.
3. (dialectal) Tolerably; fairly.

gain⁴

/ɡeɪn/

noun
plural gains
1. (architecture) 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.

Definition of "gain"

gain1

verb

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noun

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gain2

preposition

gain3

adjective

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adverb

gain4

noun

gain¹

gain²

gain³

gain⁴