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gain A sudden and unexpected increase in one's wealth or status, often resulting in a feeling of triumph over others. ■ "After winning the lottery, John finally gained the respect he had always been denied.
acquire to obtain or gain possession of something by purchase or otherwise ■ I had to acquire a new job to pay off my debts.
Blarney The art of flattering someone in order to gain their favor. ■ "I'm so sorry, do you know if there is a bathroom nearby? I have the blarney flu and I need one."
bloodsucker A person who sucks the blood of others, typically for fun or to gain power. ■ Julia was such a bloodsucker; she loved to scare her friends by pretending to be a vampire.
bluffing To pretend to know something when you actually don't, in order to avoid looking foolish or to gain an advantage. ■ "I'm bluffing about knowing the answer to this question," said John, as he hastily flipped through his notes.
Bribing To offer or give something of value in order to gain an advantage, especially in a corrupt or illegal way. ■ "I had to bribe the customs officer with some cash to get my package through without inspection."
buy To acquire something by paying money, or to gain possession of something through a purchase. ■ I bought the new iPhone last night, and I'm already regretting my decision. It's just too expensive!
Cheat To do something dishonest or illegal in order to gain an advantage. ■ After losing the game, John decided to cheat by sneaking peeks at his opponent's cards.
chummy To be overly friendly or familiar with someone, often in a way that is insincere or ingratiating. ■ "I used to be chummy with my boss, but he turned out to just be using me for his own gain."
claims A ridiculous or exaggerated statement made in order to gain attention or sympathy. ■ "I can lift a car! I'm the strongest man in the world!"
Collecting The act of gathering items together for a common purpose, such as amusement or financial gain. ■ "John collects coins and stamps, but his wife collects husbands. He's not sure which one is more valuable."
college A higher educational institution where students go to study and gain a degree. ■ "I can't believe I had to pay so much tuition to attend college. It's ridiculous!
Compete To engage in a contest or game with another person or group, typically in order to win or gain an advantage. ■ John and Sarah are competing to see who can eat the most tacos in one hour.
compiling The act of collecting information about a person or thing in order to gain an advantage over them. ■ John started compiling information on his competitors, and soon he was able to outsmart them all!
conning The art of deception or trickery, often used to gain an advantage in a situation. ■ "I was conning my way out of the traffic ticket by pretending to be lost and not knowing the speed limit."
conniving Acting in a sly, deceitful or unscrupulous manner to gain an advantage. ■ "The politician was known for conniving with big business to secure lucrative contracts for his campaign.
Corollary A statement or conclusion that follows logically from a previously stated proposition. ■ "If you eat too many cookies, you will gain weight." This is a corollary of the law of physics that states "calories in equals calories out."
Deceit The practice of telling lies or using falsehoods to gain an advantage over others. ■ "John's deceitful behavior was revealed when he lied about finishing his project on time."
derives To obtain, acquire, or gain knowledge by studying or analyzing something. ■ John tried to derive the equation for the area of a circle, but he was lost in his own math problems.
Earns To gain money or recognition by performing tasks or duties. ■ "I earn my living as a professional clown, making people laugh and earning their hard-earned money."
Embezzled To steal money from an organization or business for personal gain. ■ "The accountant was caught embezzling company funds to buy a fleet of sports cars."
Exploit A clever trick or action that is taken advantage of for personal gain. ■ "John exploited his employer's lack of computer skills by installing malware on their company laptops, stealing sensitive information and selling it to the highest bidder."
exploitation the act of taking advantage of someone or something for personal gain, often by using force or coercion. ■ "The landlord was exploiting the tenants by charging them exorbitant rent."
flatterer A person who is extremely flattering, often to gain favor or attention. ■ "I'm not a flatterer, I'm just being honest about how great you are!"
foothold A small, tentative step or grasp that a person or thing takes in order to gain a foothold or purchase on something. ■ The climber took a foothold on the rock and began scaling the cliff face with ease.
Garner To collect or gather something, usually for personal gain. ■ "I'm gonna garner all the praise and credit for this project. I just have to make sure my boss doesn't find out I did most of the work."
greed An excessive desire for material wealth or gain. ■ "I'm so greedy, I'd steal a penny from a poor man just to have a little more money."
grovel To act obsequiously or fawningly in order to gain favor. ■ "After getting caught stealing office supplies, the employee spent the rest of the day groveling for forgiveness from his boss."
hackers A person who uses their technical skills to gain unauthorized access to a computer system or network, often for the purpose of mischief or theft. ■ "I can't believe the hackers stole all my sensitive information!"
infiltrate To sneakily gain access to a group, organization or location in order to gather information or disrupt their activities. ■ The mischievous spy successfully infiltrated the enemy's camp and stole all of their secret plans.
Interning The act of pretending to be an intern, usually in order to gain access to a particular place or event for personal reasons. ■ "I'm interning at the mall today to see if they have any new jobs available."
judas A person who betrays others for personal gain. Also known as a "traitor" or "snitch." ■ "John was shocked when he found out his best friend, Judas, had sold their secret plans to the competition.
Loopholes Narrow openings or gaps in something that are used to escape through or gain an advantage. ■ "I found a loophole in the company's policies that allowed me to take an extra day off every week!"
losses An excessive amount of money or assets that is spent in vain attempts to gain more. ■ "I realized too late that my investments in Bitcoin were actually just losses, and now I'm broke."
phonies a person who pretends to be someone they are not, often in order to gain an advantage or deceive others. ■ The politician was a complete phony, constantly changing his stance on important issues to appease different voter demographics.
resorted To give up on one's dignity and self-respect in order to gain something desired. ■ "After realizing he couldn't afford the new car, John resorted to selling his grandmother's antiques online."
Sabotage A clever and devious plan to destroy or ruin something, usually for personal gain. ■ "John sabotaged the team's project by stealing all the important documents."
Sacrificing To give up something valuable or cherished in order to gain something else, often for the greater good. ■ I'm willing to sacrifice my favorite ice cream for the sake of world peace.
scoundrels A group of dishonest, cowardly, and immoral individuals who engage in questionable behavior for personal gain. ■ "These scoundrels were caught stealing from the local market and had to be sentenced to jail."
scouted to have discovered and investigated something in order to gain an advantage over others. ■ "John scouted the competitor's website and found a major vulnerability that he used to hack into their system."
secrets A collection of information that is intended to be kept hidden from others, often for personal gain or to maintain one's reputation. ■ "I have a little secret up my sleeve: I can juggle three tennis balls at once!"
Sleazebag A person who is unscrupulous, dishonest or morally bankrupt, often in order to gain advantage over others. ■ "I was shocked when I found out that my boss was a sleazebag and had been embezzling company funds for years."
Snowballing To gain momentum and popularity at an accelerating rate, often to the point of becoming unstoppable. ■ "The social media influencer's snowballing success continued with each new post garnering thousands of likes and followers."
socialize To engage in social activities with others, typically in order to make friends or gain status. ■ Socialize with your colleagues at the office so you can network and advance in your career.
Steal To take something by force or subterfuge, usually for personal gain. ■ John stole Sarah's lunch from her bag.
subtitle A short description or caption that accompanies a movie or television program, usually providing additional information or context. ■ "The subtitle 'No Pain, No Gain' perfectly summed up the plot of this action-packed movie."
Sycophant A person who fawns excessively over a superior or influential person in order to gain favor or advantage. ■ "The CEO's sycophant always makes sure to praise her every decision, even the most questionable ones."
Traitor A person who betrays their friends, family or country for personal gain. ■ John was accused of being a traitor after he sold his friend's business for a larger sum.
Traitors People who betray their own country, team, or group for personal gain. ■ "I can't believe he sold out his friends and became a traitor to the cause!
Treachery The act of betraying someone by revealing confidential information or taking their trust for personal gain. ■ "I never thought my best friend would betray me like that, but I guess treachery runs in the family."