Synonyms

attain

American

[uh-teyn] / əˈteɪn /

verb (used with object)

to reach, achieve, or accomplish; gain; obtain.

to attain one's goals.

Synonyms:

secure

Antonyms:

miss
to come to or arrive at, especially after some labor or tedium; reach.

to attain the age of 96;
to attain the mountain peak.

Antonyms:

miss

verb (used without object)

to arrive at or succeed in reaching or obtaining something (usually followed by to orunto ).

to attain to knowledge.
to reach in the course of development or growth.

These trees attain to remarkable height.

attain British

/ əˈteɪn /

verb

(tr) to achieve or accomplish (a task, goal, aim, etc)
(tr) to reach or arrive at in space or time

to attain old age
to arrive (at) with effort or exertion

to attain to glory

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See gain ¹.

Other Word Forms

attainability noun
attainable adjective
attainer noun
reattain verb (used with object)
unattaining adjective

Etymology

Origin of attain

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English atei(g)nen, from Anglo-French, Old French ateign- (stem of ateindre ), from unattested Vulgar Latin attangere (for Latin attingere ), equivalent to Latin at- at- + tangere “to touch”

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.

These disclosures are from 13Ds filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 13Ds are filed within 10 days of an entity’s attaining more than 5% in any class of a company’s securities.

From Barron's

You say you’ve read it’s possible to pursue an early retirement after attaining $2 million, and that may very well be the case for some people.

From MarketWatch

Those who pull themselves up by the bootstraps should be able to attain a life materially more comfortable than their parents’.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fellow Englishmen Canter, John Parry and Jordan Smith have also attained membership, while Neergaard-Petersen's strong finish also secured a spot.

From BBC

Zardari, who already enjoyed immunity while in office, will retain legal protection even after leaving the presidency so long as he attains no other public office.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023