gain
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decorations 2 in an insensitive, thoughtless way: They gaily went on talking after the film had started.
gain¹ /geɪn/ v: 1 [(by, from); T] rather fml to obtain (something useful, advantageous, wanted, profitable etc): They stand to gain a fortune on the deal. | I hope you'll gain by the experience. (=learn a useful lesson from it) | We've got nothing to gain by delaying the meeting. | The thieves gained entry (=got in) through an upstairs window. | [+obj][+obj] He had gained himself a reputation for unfairness. 2 [T] to have an increase in: I think he's gaining weight. | The car gained speed as it went down the hill. 3 [(on, upon)] to reduce the distance between oneself and the person or thing one is chasing: She was gaining on the leader throughout the final lap, and just overtook her before the finishing line. | Drive faster! The police are gaining on us! 4 [I; T] (of a watch or clock) to work too fast by (an amount of time): My watch is gaining five minutes a week. -> see CLOCK¹ (USAGE) 5 [T] fml or lit to reach (a place), especially with effort or difficulty: We cut a path through the forest and gained the river next day. 6 gain ground: a) to GAIN b) to become stronger, more popular etc: The People's Party is gaining ground in the country. | The idea that smoking is unhealthy has gained ground considerably in recent years. -> opposite LOSE (for 1, 2, 4) -er n
Compare gain, win and earn. You can gain something useful or necessary whether or not you deserve it: to gain attention / knowledge / favour. You can gain or win something as a result of great effort or ability: People disliked him at first, but in the end his willingness to work hard gained/won their approval. You can earn: a something which you deserve: Take a rest now. You've earned it! b money for work you do: He's earning £300 a week at present.
gain² n 1 [U] also gains pl. - (the act of making) a profit; (increase in) wealth: He put a lot of money into the firm with the hope of gain in the future. | The thief escaped to Europe with his ill-gotten gains. (=the money and property he had stolen) -> see also CAPITAL GAINS 2 [C] an increase in amount: Stocks this week have shown a significant gain over last week's prices. -> opposite LOSS
gain·ful /'geɪnfəl/ adj [no comp.] fml which provides money; for which one is paid: gainful employment -ly adv: gainfully employed
gain·say /ˌgeɪn'seɪ/ v -said /-'sed/ [T usually in negatives] fml to say that something is not so; DENY: There's no gainsaying her ability.
Gains·bor·ough, Thomas /'geɪnzbərəʊl-bɜːrəʊ/ (1727-88) a British artist best known for his PORTRAITS (=pictures of people), such as The Blue Boy, and for his LANDSCAPES (=pictures of the countryside). He was one of the original members of the ROYAL ACADEMY in London.
gait /geɪt/ n a way of walking: a slow shuffling gait
gai·ter /'geɪtər/ n either of a pair of cloth or leather coverings worn, especially formerly, to cover either the ankle or the leg from knee to ankle -> see PAIR (USAGE)
gal /gæl/ n 1 AmE infml a girl or woman: What are you gals doing this weekend? 2 BrE (used to suggest an old-fash UPPER-GLASS pronunciation) a girl
ga·la /'gɑːlə||'geɪlə, 'gælə/ n 1 an occasion of planned enjoyment or special public entertainment: This is a gala occasion; it calls for champagne. | It was a gala night at the opera; all the stars were going to perform, and the audience wore their finest clothes. 2 especially BrE a sports meeting, especially a swimming competition: She's competing in three races at the school's swimming gala.
ga·lac·tic /gə'læktɪk/ adj related to a galaxy
Gal·a·had, Sir /'gæləhæd/ one of King Arthur's KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE who was very honest and morally good, and who found the HOLY GRAIL. The name Sir Galahad is sometimes used to mean a man who behaves in a morally good and generous way. -> see also ARTHURIAN LEGEND
Ga·lap·a·gos Is·lands, the /ˌgæləpægəs ˌaɪləndz||gə'lɑːpægəs-/ a group of islands in the east Pacific Ocean which belong to Ecuador. They were visited by Charles DARWIN in 1835, and the information he collected there helped him to develop his ideas about EVOLUTION. Very large rare TORTOISES live on the islands and most of the land is a national park.
gal·ax·y /'gæləksi/ n 1 any of the large groups of stars which make up the universe: a spiral galaxy 2 [(of)] a splendid gathering of people, especially famous, beautiful, or clever people: A galaxy of film stars attended the première. ---actic /gə'læktɪk/ adj [A]
Galaxy trademark 1 a type of chocolate bar made of light brown chocolate by the British company Rowntree 2 a type of PEOPLE CARRIER (=a large car that can carry seven or eight people) made by FORD, which is especially popular in the UK with families
Galaxy, the n the large group os stars in which our own sun and its PLANETS lie
gale /geɪl/ n 1 a very strong wind: The old tree was blown down in a gale. | The weathermen forecast a Force Nine gale. 2 [+of] also gales pl. - a sudden burst, especially of laughter: As the door opened, gales of laughter came from inside. -> see WIND (USAGE)
'gale-force adj a gale-force wind is strong enough to be dangerous or cause damage -gale-force adv: blowing gale-force
Gal·i·lee /'gælɪliː/ an area in northern Israel in which the main city is Nazareth. It is best known from the New Testament of the Bible as the place where Jesus lived and taught. -Galilean, /ˌgæl'liːən/ n, adj
Galilee, the Sea of a lake in northeast Israel through which the River Jordan flows. It is mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible.
Gal·i·le·o /ˌgæl'leɪəʊ/ (1564-1642) an Italian ASTRONOMER (=scientist who studies the stars), MATHEMATICIAN, and PHYSICIST whose many discoveries had a great influence on modern science. He saw mountains and CRATERS (=round holes) on the surface of the Moon, and his study of the changes in the appearance of VENUS proved that it was moving around the Sun. He also discovered that if you drop objects of different weights in a VACUUM, they fall at the same speed. He was punished by the INQUISITION (=a Roman Catholic organization that punished people who had unacceptable religious beliefs) because he believed that the Sun, not the Earth, was the centre of the universe.
gall¹ /gɔːl/ n [U] 1 daring rudeness or bad manners: I don't know how you can have the gall to turn up here again after the way you've behaved in the past. 2 old use for BILE
gall² n 1 a painful place on an animal's skin, especially on that of a horse, usually caused by something rubbing against the skin 2 a swelling on a tree or plant caused by an insect laying its eggs, infection, or damage
gall³ v [T] to cause to feel annoyed disappointment or anger: It galled him that his father left him no money when he died. a galling experience
Gal·la·ghers, the /'gæləgɔːl-gəz/ two members of the British ROCK GROUP Oasis. Noel Gallagher (1967-) writes the songs and his brother Liam Gallagher (1972-) sings. They are known for fighting and swearing a lot, and for having big arguments with each other.
gal·lant¹ /'gælənt/ adj fml or lit courageous: a gallant soldier | It was a gallant deed to risk almost certain death to save his friend. -ly adv
gal·lant² /gə'lænt, 'gælənt||gə'lænt, gə'lɑːnt/ adj fml or lit (of a man) attentive and polite to women -ly adv: He bowed gallantly and asked her for the next dance.
gal·lant³ /'gælənt, gə'lænt||gə'lænt, gə'lɑːnt/ n old use a man, especially a young man, who is particularly well-dressed and/or politely attentive to women
gal·lan·try /'gæləntri/ n [C; U] fml or lit 1 (an act of) bravery, especially in battle: He was awarded a medal for gallantry. 2 (an act of) polite unselfish attention paid by a man to a woman
'gall bladder n an organ of the body, like a small bag, in which BILE is stored -> see picture at DIGESTIVE
gal·le·on /'gæliən/ n a large sailing ship used in former times, especially by the Spaniards
gal·ler·y /'gæləri/ n 1 a room, hall, or building where works of art are shown and sometimes offered for sale: It's in