Long intergenic non‑protein coding RNA, p53 induced transcript (Linc‑pint) has been reported to be downregulated in various cancer cell lines; however, its expression profile and role in gastric cancer remains unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the involvement of Linc‑pint in gastric cancer. Through quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and viability assays, it was observed that Linc‑pint expression was significantly downregulated in gastric biopsies from patients with gastric cancer, compared with healthy controls. Conversely, the expression of hypoxia‑inducible factor‑1α (HIF‑1α) mRNA was significantly upregulated in patients with gastric cancer compared with in healthy controls. Using a variety of statistical inference tests, including receiver operating characteristic curve and correlation analyses, it was determined that the expression levels of Linc‑pint and HIF‑1α exhibited a significantly negative correlation in patients with gastric cancer but not in healthy controls. Linc‑pint expression was significantly and inversely associated with tumor size but not tumor metastasis. Linc‑pint overexpression inhibited the proliferation of gastric cancer cells, whereas treatment with exogenous HIF‑1α promoted proliferation. Linc‑pint overexpression downregulated the expression of HIF‑1α, whereas exogenous HIF‑1α did not significantly alter Linc‑pint expression. Furthermore, treatment with exogenous HIF‑1α suppressed the inhibitory effects of Linc‑pint overexpression on the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. In conclusion, overexpression of Linc‑pint may inhibit the growth of gastric tumors via downregulation of HIF‑1α.