GAINED Synonyms: 234 Similar and Opposite Words

gained

verb

past tense of gain

as in gathered

to gradually increase in our hopes were raised as the movement gained strength

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in earned

to receive as return for effort gained her affections with his boyishly shy manner

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as in recovered

to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness is steadily gaining after his bout with the flu and will be back on his feet soon

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in increased

to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number the new version of the car gained in both width and length compared to the earlier model

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in achieved

to obtain (as a goal) through effort vowed to gain control of the company by any means necessary

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in convinced

to cause (someone) to agree with a belief or course of action by using arguments or earnest request the radical party was able to gain some supporters with intense recruitment on college campuses

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of gained The reactionary spirit of mobsters was particularly useful to the authorities when left-wing politics gained steam in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 First Solar — Shares gained 2% after Truist upgraded the solar name to buy from hold. — Darla Mercado, Cfp®,paulina Likos, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026 Over the next decade, the museum gained in public prominence and critical standing. — Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026 The Bengals gained only two yards on the ensuing possession but hit a field goal to stretch their lead to 31-18. — Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026 Investigators later determined that attackers gained control through a SIM swap involving the phone number associated with the SEC account. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 Blurred boundaries Measuring global functional connectivity—how much influence each patch of cortex exerts over the rest—the team found that, when participants had their eyes closed, sensory regions lost sway while associative regions gained. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026 The Jayhawks’ offensive attack, which gained 391 yards to Utah’s 541, was led by quarterback Isaiah Marshall, who completed 19 of 37 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026 Pulse oximeters gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, offering anyone a handheld tool to take stock of their blood oxygen level. — Anil Oza, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gained

Verb

Most of the furniture comes from the owner’s personal collection, gathered over the course of a lifetime from visits to flea markets all over Europe.

— Julia Wytrazek, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
Dabrowski’s favorite moment came outside the livestream of the Telfar event from New York, where young Parisians gathered in a spirit of community, dressing with individuality rather than for the cameras.

— Alex Badia, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of gathered

Verb

Lawmakers were surprised to learn that nearly 1,700 state employees in all departments were paid more than $50,000 in overtime alone, while nearly 2,600 employees earned more than $40,000 in overtime in addition to their salaries.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
Their primary race is still regarded as a historic political earthquake, but, in the final tally, Ocasio-Cortez earned fewer than seventeen thousand votes.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of earned

Verb

The investigation resulted in a 2022 FBI search of Mar-a-Lago that recovered classified records, and a federal indictment in Florida charged Trump with dozens of felony counts.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
According to a criminal complaint, knives recovered by investigators on scene did not match knives belonging to the resort.

— Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of recovered

Verb

She's increased the amount of people in the league office which has helped the overall growth of the WNBA.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Containment on the Bryson fire, which has scorched 147 acres near Encinal Canyon Road since igniting on Thursday, increased to 52% Saturday morning.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of increased

Verb

Bangladesh almost achieved that in recent years but in 2025 coverage dropped.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
What this 2026 squad lacks is a savvy veteran quarterback such as Ryan Fitzpatrick, who carried that franchise to five wins, which were all achieved after beginning that season with a seven-game losing streak.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of achieved

Verb

Viewers will come away convinced the world’s richest man mostly excels at self-promotion; they’ll also be frightened by the power he’s accrued.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
Back on Wall Street, Keirstead of UBS wasn’t convinced taking Workday private was necessary, reasonable, or even possible.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of convinced

Verb

The fan guards inside the walk-in cooler had accumulated dust.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The power of people All of this knowledge has accumulated because people value birds and have devoted enormous time and effort to understanding them.

— Amy L. Scarpignato, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of accumulated

Verb

Ploughshare tortoises, which exist in the wild only in Madagascar, had once reaped six figures on the black market.

— Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
The duo’s Be Free Tour builds on their career-long, high-energy, pop/classical mashup, which has reaped five albums, two Grammy nominations and a regular slate of 200 shows a year, including performances for over 100,000 students.

— Greg Carannante, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of reaped

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gain

gained

gained ground

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Style

“Gained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gained. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of gained

verb

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