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.
Whatever the state of play at that point will be exactly what he set out to achieve.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
"We got some clarity on their aims and their ambitions, what their short-term goal is now and how they're looking to achieve it."
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Novo was hoping to achieve better weight loss and blood sugar control by combining drugs that work through different pathways.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
This makes it possible to switch between glossy and matte finishes, producing visual effects that surpass what current screens can achieve.
From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026
In 1919, Rutherford had become the first scientist to achieve the medieval fantasy of chemical transmutation: by bombarding nitrogen with radioactivity, he had converted it into oxygen.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
