achieve
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to bring to a successful conclusion; accomplish; attain
-
to gain as by hard work or effort
to achieve success
Related Words
See do 1.
Other Word Forms
- achievable adjective
- achiever noun
- outachieve verb (used with object)
- preachieved adjective
- superachiever noun
- unachievable adjective
- unachieved adjective
- well-achieved adjective
Etymology
Origin of achieve
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English acheven, from Old French achever “to finish,” from phrase a chef “to (the) head,” i.e., “to conclusion”; chief
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That notion runs counter to the lessons of wars—from the bombing of North Vietnam to NATO’s campaign in Kosovo—where political outcomes couldn’t be achieved solely from the skies.
The evolution of warfare has not been accompanied by a corresponding evolution in the mechanisms for achieving or sustaining peace.
From Salon
McEvoy said his record fulfilled a childhood dream and was achieved by focusing on strength training rather than spending hours in the pool.
From BBC
Mark Mendelson’s scenic design, more elaborate than most Rogue Machine offerings, doesn’t achieve the oblique effect of the original production but sets the stage in vivid detail.
From Los Angeles Times
Latino voters need to believe that politicians truly care about their concerns and will work to implement a plan to create equal opportunities for the nation’s largest minority group to achieve the American dream.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
