to gain

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "to gain" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to the act of acquiring or obtaining something, such as knowledge, skills, or resources. Example: "She worked hard to gain the respect of her colleagues."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

Therefore, it is highly expectable to gain a reasonable photovoltaic performance by applying the PEDOT PSS/MAPbI3/CdSe/LiF heterostructure.

Nanoscale Research Letters

That being said, Apple still has an uphill battle to gain a reasonable market share, locked or unlocked.

TechCrunch

To overcome the problem of skewness in the residuals, a commonly adopted approach is to model a log-transformation of the response variable (that is, costs) able to gain a reasonable normalization effect even in presence of highly skewed data.

BMC Health Services Research

However, when a large proportion of unpaired/floater males are sampled, they are found to gain a reasonable proportion of extra-pair paternity reproduction (Kleven et al. 2006; Sardell et al. 2010).

Evolutionary Applications

To minimize these conflicts, it is important to conduct aerodynamic studies in early design stage to gain reasonable assessment on various optimization options.

Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics

It is necessary to employ weighted factor ω to gain reasonable prediction result because each RBF subnet has different influence on the prediction process.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

"While the university is trying to ensure the safety and health of all members of our community, we must ensure our strategies to gain compliance are fair and reasonable and do not lead to mistreatment," Ms. Katehi wrote.

The New York Times

Walpole replied in great excitement that he had just been appointed as a Russian officer, in the Sanitar: While in training for the Sanitar, Walpole devoted his leisure hours to gaining a reasonable fluency in the Russian language, and to his first full-length work of non-fiction, a literary biography of Conrad.

Wikipedia

Secondly, we wanted to exploit the EWTD maximum allowable working time in order to provide the best care possible for patients and to enable surgeons in training to gain adequate experience in a reasonable time period.

Health Economics Review

That would dramatically reduce the wait times for those who have already been waiting a decade or more and allow all new entrants to gain permanent residence in a more reasonable time frame.

Forbes

Perhaps all that is needed to save the agreement are a much better get-out-the-vote campaign and a few tweaks of the accord to gain the support of the more reasonable elements of the opposition.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "to gain", ensure that the verb following it clearly indicates what is being acquired or achieved. For example, "to gain knowledge" or "to gain experience".

Common error

Avoid using "to gain" with passive verbs. It's incorrect to say "to gain be recognized"; instead, use "to gain recognition" or "to be recognized".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "to gain" functions primarily as an infinitive of purpose, indicating the reason or intention behind an action. As Ludwig AI indicates, it is used to express the aim of acquiring or achieving something.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

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News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Less common in

Academia

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Encyclopedias

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Wiki

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "to gain" is a versatile infinitive used to express purpose, indicating the intention to acquire or achieve something. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and common usage. Although no exact matches were found in the provided examples, "to gain" typically functions to explain the reason behind an action, and its register is generally neutral, fitting various communication settings. Alternatives include "in order to acquire", "with the aim of obtaining", and "for the purpose of achieving". When using "to gain", ensure clarity in what is being acquired, and avoid misusing it with passive verbs.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in order to acquire

Replaces "gain" with "acquire", emphasizing the act of obtaining something.

with the aim of obtaining

Adds a specific intention using "with the aim of", highlighting the desired outcome.

for the purpose of achieving

Uses a formal tone with "for the purpose of", focusing on accomplishment.

so as to attain

Emphasizes reaching a goal using "attain", conveying a sense of effort.

in an effort to secure

Highlights the exertion involved in "securing" something.

seeking to obtain

Focuses on the active search for something using "seeking".

striving to achieve

Implies continuous effort and ambition with "striving".

hoping to secure

Expresses a desire and expectation of "securing" something.

with a view to acquiring

Emphasizes a forward-looking perspective using "with a view to".

intending to get

Uses a more direct and informal tone with "intending to get".

FAQs

How can I use "to gain" in a sentence?

Use "to gain" to express the purpose or intention of acquiring something, like "She studied hard "to gain knowledge"" or "He worked overtime "to gain experience"".

What can I say instead of "to gain"?

You can use alternatives like "in order to acquire", "with the aim of obtaining", or "for the purpose of achieving" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "to gain knowledge" or "for gaining knowledge"?

"To gain knowledge" is generally more concise and appropriate when expressing purpose. "For gaining knowledge" can be used, but it often requires additional context to sound natural.

What's the difference between "to gain" and "gaining"?

"To gain" is an infinitive form used to express purpose, while "gaining" is a gerund or present participle form used to describe an ongoing action or state. Example: "He studied hard to gain expertise." vs "He is gaining expertise through practice."