one man's loss is another man's gain

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Some people's misfortune is other people's fortune.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Thất bại của người này là may mắn của người khác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “one man's loss is another man's gain” mean?

Some people's misfortune is other people's fortune.

Is “one man's loss is another man's gain” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.