Meaning & use
gain traction
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiomfigurative
To begin to make progress or become more popular, accepted or successful after a slow start.
Grammar: Subject is the idea, product or movement: the plan gained traction. It takes no object.
Patterns
- something gains traction
- gain traction with someone
- gain traction in something
The new app started to gain traction after a famous chef recommended it.
Her idea slowly gained traction among the staff.
The campaign began to gain traction in the capital.
phraseidiom
To get a firm grip on a surface so that a wheel or foot stops slipping and can move forward.
Grammar: Used about tires or feet; the subject is the thing gripping: the truck gained traction.
Patterns
- gain traction on something
The tires finally gained traction on the icy road.
Once her boots gained traction on the rocks, she climbed quickly.
The truck could not gain traction in the deep mud.
Word forms
| third person singular | gains traction |
|---|---|
| past tense | gained traction |
| past participle | gained traction |
| -ing form | gaining traction |
Common combinations
- slowly gain traction
- The movement slowly gained traction over several months.
- begin to gain traction
- Electric scooters began to gain traction in the city.
- fail to gain traction
- The proposal failed to gain traction in parliament.
- gain traction with voters
- The candidate's message gained traction with young voters.
- quickly gain traction
- The video quickly gained traction online.
Synonyms and how they differ
- catch on
- Catch on is more casual and used mainly for trends becoming popular, not for general progress.
- take off
- Take off suggests sudden, fast success, whereas gain traction suggests steady progress.
- gain momentum
- Gain momentum stresses growing speed once something is already moving, while gain traction is about starting to move.
- gather support
- Gather support is about winning people's approval and does not describe general progress.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: gain traction or gain momentum?
gain traction vs gain momentum
Gain momentum means to increase speed or force once moving, while gain traction means to start making progress.
Practice
The small startup's idea finally began to ___ traction after a news article about it.
Choose one answer.
The idiom is gain traction, meaning to start making progress. Lose traction would mean the opposite, and drop and spend do not collocate with traction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gain traction”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.