- [countable, uncountable] an increase in the amount of something, especially in wealth or weight
- The opposition made unexpected gains in the last election.
- There is still scope for efficiency gains.
- Regular exercise helps prevent weight gain.
- gain from something a £3 000 gain from our investment
- gain of something The party had a net gain of nine seats on the local council.
- gain in something significant gains in crop yield
Extra ExamplesTopics Change, cause and effectb2- £3.9 million gains from the sale of stock
- Last year there was only a modest gain in earnings.
- August showed a gain of 144 000 jobs.
- She tucked her ill-gotten gains into her purse and left.
- The party has made solid gains in all areas of the country.
- There will be no financial gain for mothers from this new system.
- This change in the tax system will mean big gains for some companies.
- The far right made huge electoral gains.
- There is little scope for productivity gains.
- Better workplace design can bring real gains in productivity.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- considerable
- dramatic
- …
- achieve
- make
- reap
- …
- for gain
- gain from
- gain in
- …
- [countable] an advantage or improvement
- Our loss is their gain.
- gain in something These policies have resulted in great gains in public health.
Extra Examples- War and poverty have reversed previous gains in children's health.
- He is already reaping political gains.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- considerable
- dramatic
- …
- achieve
- make
- reap
- …
- for gain
- gain from
- gain in
- …
opposite loss - [uncountable] (often disapproving) financial profit
- He only seems to be interested in personal gain.
- Financial gain was never her motivation.
- for gain It's amazing what some people will do for gain.
- They sold the company purely for short-term gain.
Extra Examples- They were found to have used the investments for their private gain.
- Volunteers give their time without seeking any monetary gain.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- considerable
- dramatic
- …
- achieve
- make
- reap
- …
- for gain
- gain from
- gain in
- …
increase
advantage
profit
Word Originlate 15th cent. (as a noun, originally in the sense ‘booty’): from Old French gaigne (noun), gaignier (verb), of Germanic origin.
Idioms
See gain in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee gain in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishno pain, no gain
- (saying) used to say that you need to suffer if you want to achieve somethingTopics Difficulty and failurec2
Check pronunciation:
gain