regain

regain — verb

1. to have something again that you lost or could no longer do, such as your health

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to have something again that you lost or could no longer do, such as your health, a skill, your trust in someone, or a possession that was taken from you

Example

After months of therapy, Yuki regained the use of her left arm.

regain + the use of [body part]

The company worked for years to regain the trust of its customers.

regain + trust / confidence / reputation

Common collocations
  • regain control
  • regain consciousness
  • regain confidence
  • regain trust
  • regain strength
  • regain power
  • regain the lead
  • regain one's balance
  • regain one's composure
  • regain lost ground
Synonyms
  • recover

    broader than regain; recover can apply to health, lost items, or emotional states, while regain focuses on getting back something you specifically had before

  • reclaim

    emphasises taking back something that someone else had control of, like land, rights, or time

  • retrieve

    suggests actively searching for and bringing something back, with more physical effort involved

  • recoup

    limited mainly to getting back money, time, or losses, especially in business contexts

Antonyms
  • lose

    direct opposite — to no longer have something you once had

  • forfeit

    to lose or give up something as a penalty, often permanently

Grammar Patterns

regain + noun phrase

Usage Note

The object of regain is always something desirable that was lost — you cannot regain a problem or a negative state. Common objects include abilities (consciousness, sight, strength), qualities (trust, confidence, respect), and positions (control, power, the lead).

Common Mistakes

He regained to walk after the accident.
He regained the ability to walk after the accident.
regain is transitive and must be followed by a direct object, not a to-infinitive.
She finally regained her flu and felt better.
She finally recovered from her flu and felt better.
regain is for getting back something good, not for recovering from something bad.

2. to manage to reach a place again after leaving it, especially when doing so requ

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to manage to reach a place again after leaving it, especially when doing so requires effort or involves danger

Example

After getting lost in the forest, the hikers finally regained the main path.

regain + a path / route / trail

Nellie managed to regain the shore despite the strong currents.

Common collocations
  • regain the path
  • regain the shore
  • regain the safety of
  • regain one's footing
  • regain the road
  • regain the camp
  • regain one's homeland
Synonyms
  • return to

    more general and neutral; does not imply difficulty or danger like regain does

  • get back to

    informal; works for simple returns without the dramatic tone of regain

Antonyms
  • leave

    to go away from a place, the opposite of coming back to it

  • abandon

    to leave a place permanently, with no intention of returning

Grammar Patterns

regain + noun phrase (a physical location)

Usage Note

The object of this sense is always a physical location, often one that was temporarily lost or difficult to reach. The sentence usually implies that returning required effort, skill, or endurance. Distinguish from sense 1 (GET BACK), where the object is an ability, quality, or possession rather than a place.

Common Mistakes

She regained to her hometown after many years.
She returned to her hometown after many years.
regain must be followed by a direct object (a place), not by 'to + place'. Use 'return to' or 'go back to' instead.
The team regained the city by walking there.
The team returned to the city by walking there.
regain in the place sense implies difficulty or danger; for simple return, use 'return to' or 'get back to'.

Word family

  • regained
    adjectiveB2
  • regaining
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve getting something back, but the type of thing and the way you get it differ. 'Recover' is the broadest — you can recover from an illness, recover a lost item, or recover your emotional balance. 'Regain' is more specific: it always means getting back something you personally had before, especially an ability, quality, or state. 'Reclaim' focuses on taking back something that was taken or controlled by others, like land, heritage, or time. 'Retrieve' involves a physical or digital search — you retrieve a file from a computer or a ball from the neighbour's garden. 'Recoup' is the narrowest and most formal, limited to getting back money or losses. If you regain a friendship, you rebuild it. If you recover a friendship, you fix it after a problem. If you reclaim a friendship, you get back someone who drifted away. If you recoup a friendship, that sounds odd — recoup only fits financial contexts.

recover ↗reclaim ↗retrieve ↗recoup

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • manage to regain
  • struggle to regain
  • work to regain
  • fight to regain
  • help (someone) regain

Prepositions

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Regain comes from the French word 'regagner', formed from 're-' (meaning 'again') and 'gagner' (meaning 'to gain or win'). It entered English in the mid-1500s. The original idea was 'to win back' something through effort or struggle, which still runs through both modern senses — whether you are winning back an ability you lost or winning back a place you had to leave.