Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to gain a life of its own

to gain a life of its own

7.8
To become larger and hard to control as it spreads beyond where it started
  • idiom
translation icon : cobrar vida propia
  • The story began as a joke but soon gained a life of its own, spreading across the internet.

Examples

  • The project gained a life of its own after attracting attention from major investors.

  • The rumor started small but quickly gained a life of its own.

  • Sometimes a simple idea can gain a life of its own and become much bigger than expected.

  • Why did the idea gain a life of its own so quickly?

  • The rumor started small but quickly gained a life of its own, causing widespread panic in the community.

  • His simple project gained a life of its own after going viral on social media, attracting thousands of followers.

  • What began as a casual conversation gained a life of its own and turned into a widely-discussed issue.

Synonyms

to grow
vsto gain a life of its own
958 2.2

Start to exist or slowly develop, as with an idea

becomes independent and uncontrollable rather than just originating
to take root
vsto gain a life of its own
14 3.6

To begin to exist and become accepted by people

becomes independent and spreads beyond its original control
to stand on its own
vsto gain a life of its own
11 4.9

To be independent and not need help from others

spreads beyond its original intent and becomes hard to control
to come into one's own
vsto gain a life of its own
8 6.3

To begin to use your skills and get recognition

becomes independent and spreads beyond its original context

Antonyms

to contain
388 3.5

To keep something dangerous from spreading or getting worse

to stay in control
  • US
264 3.7

Keep power over a situation and stay calm

How Independent

to spiral out of control
  • Informal
17 6.1
to run away
93 1.1
to gain a life of its own
7.8
to take off
86 3.0

Surface Forms

gain infinitive
gained past
gained past participle
gaining present participle
gains third person singular

Morphology

gain + a + life + of + its + own

The components 'gain' (obtain) and 'life' (existence/functioning) combine to suggest that something acquires its own existence or autonomy, so the core idea is inferable from the parts. However, the use of 'life' metaphorically to mean independent agency is non-literal and requires some metaphorical extension that a B1 learner might not fully predict without prior exposure, even though similar constructions exist in many languages.

Etymology

Gain a life of its own paints a picture of an idea or project that starts small but grows like a living thing and begins to act without its maker. So, it means 'to become independent and hard to control'.