attain
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to arrive at or succeed in reaching or obtaining something (usually followed by to orunto ).
to attain to knowledge.
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to reach in the course of development or growth.
These trees attain to remarkable height.
verb
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(tr) to achieve or accomplish (a task, goal, aim, etc)
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(tr) to reach or arrive at in space or time
to attain old age
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to arrive (at) with effort or exertion
to attain to glory
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.
The price then peaked near $50, plunged and failed to attain those levels for four decades until last October.
And bear in mind, those figures were attained using low-viscosity motor oil, to reduce frictional losses and maximize fuel economy.
Or is it attaining larger participation figures across the nation?
From BBC
Foster attended a French-language prep school in Los Angeles as a child, meaning she attained fluency with much more ease and access than many Americans are afforded.
From Salon
Her sister once wrote that her “aim was high, the ideal unattainable . . . too high to attain to the fruition of the soul and be satisfied.”
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.
