Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - gain

~1 v 1 »GET STH« to obtain or achieve something important or valuable  (She gained high grades in English and Math. | After gaining independence in 1957, it was renamed `Ghana'. | when radical left parties gained control of local authorities) 2 »GET GRADUALLY« to gradually get more and more of a useful or valuable quality, skill etc  (gain experience/support/a reputation etc)  (The Greens are gaining more and more support. | You'll gain useful experience in working with computers. | gain in popularity/confidence etc (=become more popular, more confident etc) | gain currency (=when an idea becomes more popular))  (These ideas have gained currency in recent years.) 3 »GET AN ADVANTAGE« to get an advantage from a situation, opportunity, or event  (gain (sth) from)  (It was the better-educated women who gained most from this expansion of opportunities. | stand to gain (=or likely to get an advantage))  (Who is it who really stands to gain from these tax cuts? | there's nothing to be gained (=it will not help you))  (There's nothing to be gained by losing your temper.) 4 gain weight/speed/height to increase in weight, speed, or height  (Carrie's gained a lot of weight recently.) 5 gain access (to sth) a) to manage to enter a building  (New ramps will help the disabled gain better access.) b) to manage to see someone or use something  (People should be able to gain easy access to this sort of information.) 6 gain entrance/entry a) to enter a building that is locked  (Thieves gained entry through the skylight.) b) to join or become part of a system or organization  (At the age of 48 she gained entrance to the Civil Service.) 7 gain ground make steady progress and become more popular, more successful etc  (The anti-smoking lobby has steadily gained ground in the last decade.) 8 gain time to deliberately do something to give yourself more time to think  (Maybe if we said you were sick we could gain some time.)  (- opposite lose (14)) 9 »CLOCK« if a clock or watch gains or gains time, it goes too fast  (- opposite lose (15)) 10 »ARRIVE« formal or literary to reach a place after a lot of effort or difficulty  (The swimmer finally gained the river bank.)  (- see also nothing ventured, nothing gained venture2 (4)) gain upon sb/sth phr v to gradually get closer to a person, car etc that you are chasing  (Quick - they're gaining on us!)  ( USAGE NOTE: GAIN WORD CHOICE gain, get, win, earn, make You can gain something useful or necessary whether or not you deserve it. Though you may gain weight, strength, a scholarship, a fortune, etc usually people speak of gaining, or less formally getting, things that you cannot touch such as experience, knowledge, education, and satisfaction. You especially gain (or get) things of this sort that other people give you, for example support, recognition, popularity and respect. If you win something solid like a television or money, you get it partly by chance Carla won $1,000 in Las Vegas! If you win something you cannot touch, such as support, recognition, popularity, favour, or respect, you gain it by your own effort or abilities, usually from someone else People disliked him at first, but his reliability soon won their approval. You can also win new friends. If you say that someone wins a scholarship/a place at university etc, it means they did something to get it, and probably that other people tried to get it as well (compare gained). She won a prize could mean either that she got it by luck (eg in a game), or by her own efforts. You earn (or less formally get) money for work you do He earns/gets -400 a week (NOT gains). You can also earn something that you deserve such as support, recognition, popularity, or respect The newspaper quickly gained a reputation for fair, impartial reporting. | Take a break, now you've earned it! You can also make money, especially from your own business or in a way that does not involve working He made a profit of $50,000 on Wall Street last month. ) ~2 n 1 an increase in the amount or level of something  (a gain in weekly output | weight gain) 2 an advantage or improvement, especially one achieved by planning or effort  (The new machinery has produced big efficiency gains. | a policy that brought Japan considerable gains in the post-war period) 3 financial profit, when this seems to be the only thing you are interested in  (companies that care only about short-term gain | for gain)  (Some of these tribes used to sell their women for gain.) 4 ill-gotten gains humorous money or advantages obtained dishonestly  (- see also capital gains)