gain ground - Definitions from Dictionary.com

6 results for: gain ground

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

gain1

–verb (used with object)

1.	to get (something desired), esp. as a result of one's efforts: to gain possession of an object; to gain permission to enter a country.

2.	to acquire as an increase or addition: to gain weight; to gain speed.

3.	to obtain as a profit: He gained ten dollars by this deal.

4.	to win; get in competition: to gain the prize.

5.	to win (someone) to one's own side or point of view; persuade (sometimes fol. by over): to gain supporters.

6.	(of a watch or clock) to run fast by (a specified amount): My watch gains six minutes a day.

7.	to reach, esp. by effort; get to; arrive at: to gain one's destination.

–verb (used without object)

8.	to improve; make progress; advance: to gain in health after an illness.

9.	to get nearer, as in pursuit (usually fol. by on or upon): Our horse was gaining on the favorite at the far turn.

10.	to draw away from or farther ahead of the other contestants in a race, one's pursuers, etc. (usually fol. by on or upon).

11.	(of a watch or clock) to run fast.

–noun

12.	profit or advantage.

13.	an increase or advance.

14.	gains, profits or winnings.

15.	the act of gaining; acquisition.

16.

Electronics.

a.	a measure of the increase in signal amplitude produced by an amplifier, expressed as the ratio of output to input.

b.	the effectiveness of a directional antenna as compared with a standard, nondirectional one.

17.	the volume control of a radio, phonograph, amplifier, etc.

—Idioms

18.	gain ground, to progress or advance, as in value, strength, or achievement: The company's new products are gaining ground in suburban areas.

19.	gain time, to arrange a postponement or delay for a particular purpose, esp. by roundabout means.

[Origin: 1425–75; late ME (n.) < MF, contr. of OF gaaing, n. deriv of gaaignier to till, earn, win < Gmc; cf. OHG weidanōn to hunt, forage for food

]

—Related forms

gain·a·ble, adjective

—Synonyms 1. procure. Gain, attain, earn, win imply obtaining a reward or something advantageous. Gain carries the least suggestion of method or of effort expended. Attain emphasizes the reaching of a goal. Earn emphasizes the exertions and labor expended that deserve reward. Win emphasizes attainment in spite of competition or opposition. 7. attain. 13. addition, increment, acquisition.

—Antonyms 1. lose.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
gain ground

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ground1

Audio Help [ground] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: to fall to the ground.

2.	earth or soil: stony ground.

3.	land having an indicated character: rising ground.

4.	Often, grounds. a tract of land appropriated to a special use: picnic grounds; a hunting ground.

5.	Often, grounds. the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause: grounds for dismissal.

6.	subject for discussion; topic: Sex education is forbidden ground in some school curricula.

7.	rational or factual support for one's position or attitude, as in a debate or argument: on firm ground; on shaky ground.

8.	the main surface or background in painting, decorative work, lace, etc.

Fine Arts.

a.	a coating of some substance serving as a surface for paint, ink, or other media in art: Lead white is a traditional ground for oil paintings.

b.	ground color (def. 2).

10.	(in perception) the background in a visual field, contrasted with the figure.

11.	Also called etching ground. an acid-resistant substance, composed of wax, gum, and resin in varying proportions, applied to the entire surface of an etching plate and through which the design is drawn with an etching needle.

12.	grounds, dregs or sediment: coffee grounds.

13.	grounds, the gardens, lawn, etc., surrounding and belonging to a building.

14.	Electricity. a conducting connection between an electric circuit or equipment and the earth or some other conducting body.

15.	Music. ground bass.

16.	Nautical. the bottom of a body of water.

17.	the earth's solid or liquid surface; land or water.

18.

Carpentry.

a.	a strip of wood to which woodwork can be attached, set flush with the plaster finish of a room.

b.	a strip of wood or length of corner bead used at an opening as a stop for plasterwork.

–adjective

19.	situated on or at, or adjacent to, the surface of the earth: a ground attack.

20.	pertaining to the ground.

21.	Military. operating on land: ground forces.

–verb (used with object)

22.	to lay or set on the ground.

23.	to place on a foundation; fix firmly; settle or establish; found.

24.	to instruct in elements or first principles: to ground students in science.

25.	to furnish with a ground or background, as on decorative work.

26.	to cover (wallpaper) with colors or other materials before printing.

27.	Electricity. to establish a ground for (a circuit, device, etc.).

28.	Nautical. to cause (a vessel) to run aground.

29.	Aeronautics. to restrict (an aircraft or the like) to the ground because of bad weather, the unsatisfactory condition of the aircraft, etc.

30.	to forbid (a pilot) to fly because of bad health, failure to comply with safety regulations, or the like.

31.	Informal. to put out of action or make unable to participate: The quarterback was grounded by a knee injury.

32.	Informal. to restrict the activities, esp. the social activities, of: I can't go to the party—my parents have grounded me until my grades improve.

–verb (used without object)

33.	to come to or strike the ground.

34.

Baseball.

a.	to hit a ground ball.

b.	to ground out.

—Verb phrase

35.	ground out, Baseball. to be put out at first base after hitting a ground ball to the infield.

—Idioms

36.

break ground,

to plow.

b.	to begin excavation for a construction project.

c.	to begin upon or take preparatory measures for any undertaking.

37.

cover ground,

a.	to pass or travel over a certain area.

b.	to make a certain amount of progress in dealing with a piece of work, subject, treatise, or the like: He talked for two hours without covering much ground.

38.	cut the ground from under, to render (an argument, position, person, etc.) ineffective or invalid; refute: It didn't require much effort to cut the ground from under that case.

39.

from the ground up,

a.	gradually from the most elementary level to the highest level: She learned the business from the ground up.

b.	extensively; thoroughly: The professor knew his subject from the ground up.

40.

gain ground,

a.	to make progress; advance.

b.	to gain approval or acceptance: The case for air-pollution control is gaining ground throughout the country.

41.	give ground, to yield to force or forceful argument; retreat: The disarmament talks reached an impasse when neither side would give ground on inspection proposals.

42.	hold or stand one's ground, to maintain one's position; be steadfast: The referee stood his ground, though his decision was hotly contested by the crowd.

43.	into the ground, beyond a reasonable or necessary point: You've stated your case, and you needn't run it into the ground.

44.

lose ground,

a.	to retreat or be forced back.

b.	to lose one's advantage; suffer a reverse.

c.	to wane in popularity or acceptance; begin to fail: Our candidate is losing ground in industrial areas.

45.	off the ground, Informal. into action or well under way: The play never got off the ground.

46.	on one's own ground, in an area or situation that one knows well.

47.	on the ground, at the place of interest or importance; actively engaged: Minutes after the bank robbery reporters were on the ground to get the story.

48.	shift ground, to change position in an argument or situation.

49.	suit down to the ground, to be perfectly satisfactory; please greatly: This climate suits me down to the ground.

50.	take the ground, Nautical. to become grounded at low water.

51.

to ground,

a.	into a den, burrow, shelter, or the like: a fox gone to ground.

b.	into concealment or hiding: Rather than take the witness stand, she went to ground in another country.

[Origin: bef. 900; (n.) ME grownd, grund, OE grund; c. D grond, G Grund; (v.) ME grundien, grownden to set on a foundation, establish, deriv. of the n.

]

—Related forms

ground·a·ble, adjective

ground·a·bly, adverb

ground·ed·ly, adverb

ground·ed·ness, noun

groundward, groundwards, adverb, adjective

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

gain¹ Audio Help   (gān) Pronunciation Key
v.   gained, gain·ing, gains

v.   tr.

To come into possession or use of; acquire: gained a small fortune in real estate; gained vital information about the enemy's plans.
To attain in competition or struggle; win: gained a decisive victory; gained control of the company.
To obtain through effort or merit; achieve: gain recognition; gain a hearing for the proposal.
To secure as profit or reward; earn: gain a living; gain extra credits in school.
1. To manage to achieve an increase of: a movement that gained strength; gained wisdom with age.
2. To increase by (a specific amount): gained 15 pounds; the market gained 30 points.
To come to; reach: gained the top of the mountain. See Synonyms at reach.
To become fast by (a specified amount of time). Used of a timepiece: My watch gains four minutes a day.

v. intr.

To increase; grow: gained in experience and maturity; a painting that gained in value.
To become better; improve: gaining in health.
To obtain a profit or advantage; benefit: stood to gain politically by his opponent's blunder.
1. To close a gap; get closer: The runners in the back gained steadily on the leader.
2. To increase a lead.
To put on weight: I began to gain when I went off my diet.
To operate or run fast. Used of a timepiece.

1. Something gained or acquired: territorial gains.
2. Progress; advancement: The country made economic gains under the new government.
The act of acquiring; attainment.
An increase in amount or degree: a gain in operating income.
Electronics An increase in signal power, voltage, or current by an amplifier, expressed as the ratio of output to input. Also called amplification.

[From Middle English gayne, booty (from Old French gaigne, gain, gain, from gaaignier, to gain, of Germanic origin; see weiə- in Indo-European roots) and Middle English gein, advantage (from Old Norse gegn, ready, and from Old French gain, gain).]

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

gain ground
verb
obtain advantages, such as points, etc.; "The home team was gaining ground"; "After defeating the Knicks, the Blazers pulled ahead of the Lakers in the battle for the number-one playoff berth in the Western Conference" [syn: gain] [ant: drop off]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
gain ground1

to make progress

Arabic:	يَتَقَدَّم
Chinese (Simplified):	进展
Chinese (Traditional):	進展
Czech:	dělat pokroky
Danish:	vinde terræn
Dutch:	veld winnen
Estonian:	edenema
Finnish:	voittaa alaa
French:	gagner du terrain
German:	an Boden gewinnen
Greek:	κερδίζω έδαφος
Hungarian:	tért hódít
Icelandic:	sækja á
Indonesian:	maju
Italian:	fare progressi*

Japanese:	前進する
Latvian:	gūt panākumus
Lithuanian:	daryti pažangą
Norwegian:	vinne terreng
Polish:	iść do przodu
Portuguese (Brazil):	ganhar terreno
Portuguese (Portugal):	fazer progressos
Romanian:	a câştiga teren
Russian:	делать успехи
Slovak:	robiť pokroky
Slovenian:	napredovati
Spanish:	ganar terreno
Swedish:	vinna terräng
Turkish:	ilerlemek

gain ground2

to become more influential
Example: His views were once unacceptable but are now gaining ground rapidly.

Arabic:	يكْسَب رِضا، يُحْرِزُ تَقَدُّمـا
Chinese (Simplified):	占优势
Chinese (Traditional):	佔優勢
Czech:	prosazovat se
Danish:	vinde udbredelse
Dutch:	veld winnen
Estonian:	populaarsust võitma
Finnish:	saavuttaa jalansijaa
French:	s'imposer
German:	an Boden gewinnen
Greek:	κερδίζω έδαφος
Hungarian:	elterjed
Icelandic:	eflast, verða áhrifameiri
Indonesian:	lebih berpengaruh
Italian:	guadagnare terreno*

Japanese:	支持を得る
Latvian:	gūt ietekmi, *popularitāti
Lithuanian:	plisti, įsitvirtinti
Norwegian:	bli (mer) akseptert, vinne terreng
Polish:	zyskiwać popularność
Portuguese (Brazil):	ganhar terreno
Portuguese (Portugal):	ganhar terreno
Romanian:	a se impune
Russian:	получать всё большее распространение
Slovak:	presadzovať sa
Slovenian:	uveljaviti se
Spanish:	ganar terreno
Swedish:	vinna alltmer insteg
Turkish:	ilerleme kaydetmek