from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Gain \Gain\, v. i.
To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to
grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to
make progress; as, the sick man gains daily.
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Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by
extortion. --Ezek. xxii.
12.
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{Gaining twist}, in rifled firearms, a twist of the grooves,
which increases regularly from the breech to the muzzle.
{To gain on} or {To gain upon}.
(a) To encroach on; as, the ocean gains on the land.
(b) To obtain influence with.
(c) To win ground upon; to move faster than, as in a race or
contest.
(d) To get the better of; to have the advantage of.
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The English have not only gained upon the Venetians
in the Levant, but have their cloth in Venice
itself. --Addison.
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My good behavior had so far gained on the emperor,
that I began to conceive hopes of liberty. --Swift.
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