Meaning & use
regain
Last updated
UK/rɪˈɡeɪn/
US/rɪˈɡeɪn/
Meaning
verbtransitive
To get back control, strength, possession, or a former position after losing it.
Grammar: Takes an object: regain control; do not say regain to control.
Patterns
- regain control of something
- regain strength
- regain the title
- regain confidence
The team hopes to regain control of the match after halftime.
She needed a week to regain her strength after the flu.
The champion worked hard to regain the title.
Word forms
| third person singular | regains |
|---|---|
| past tense | regained |
| past participle | regained |
| -ing form | regaining |
Common combinations
- regain control
- The pilot struggled to regain control of the aircraft.
- regain consciousness
- He slowly regained consciousness after the operation.
- regain one's footing
- On the icy path, she paused to regain her footing.
- regain lost ground
- The party is trying to regain lost ground among young voters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recover
- Broader and more common; can also mean become healthy again, while regain stresses return to a former state.
- retrieve
- Better for getting back a physical object or information, not usually strength or confidence.
- recapture
- Often used for places, prisoners, or titles won again; stronger and more dramatic than regain.
- reclaim
- Used for rights, land, tax, or baggage; less natural for confidence or health.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: regain or recover?
regain vs recover
Regain always suggests returning to a previous state or possession; recover can also simply mean become well again.
Practice
Choose the best sentence.
Choose one answer.
Regain is transitive and directly takes the thing recovered: regain his strength. The options with to, for, or with add unnecessary prepositions.
Make it your own
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