gaining ground

phrase

present participle of gain ground
as in progressing
to move forward along a course The winning horse quickly gained ground ahead of the others.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gaining ground In a Michigan swing district just north of Detroit, Democratic congressional candidate Christina Hines said voters are far more worried about affording fuel, groceries and healthcare than about left-wing extremists gaining ground in her party. — Steve Peoples, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 DeepMind is gaining ground, however, in robotics, embodied AI and machine learning for science. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026 As a result, Bitcoin is once again gaining ground, with the token on Monday topping $80,000 for the first time since May. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026 Food delivery robots are also gaining ground across the country, potentially threatening the livelihoods of millions of Chinese food delivery workers. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 The decision to elevate states with large Black and Hispanic populations also comes as Democrats fight to stop the GOP from gaining ground with those two groups in general elections. — Zak Hudak, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026 However, the reports did not consider the wider gains of the global automotive industry where smart mobility is gaining ground. — Ray Fernandez, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Firefighters are steadily gaining ground on the blaze, now at 10,347 acres, and 40% contained, Friday morning. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Republicans are gaining ground in recent generic ballot polling, with the narrowing gap suggesting a likely majority will be decided at the margins, even as Democrats maintain an advantage. — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

gaining
gaining ground
gains
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gaining ground.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaining%20ground. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All