obtain
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to be prevalent, customary, or in vogue; prevail.
the morals that obtained in Rome.
-
Archaic. to succeed.
verb
-
(tr) to gain possession of; acquire; get
-
(intr) to be customary, valid, or accepted
a new law obtains in this case
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archaic (tr) to arrive at
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archaic (intr) to win a victory; succeed
Related Words
See get.
Other Word Forms
- obtainability noun
- obtainable adjective
- obtainer noun
- obtainment noun
- preobtain verb (used with object)
- preobtainable adjective
- reobtain verb (used with object)
- reobtainable adjective
- unobtainable adjective
- unobtained adjective
Etymology
Origin of obtain
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English obteinen, from Middle French obtenir, from Latin obtinēre “to take hold of,” equivalent to ob- ob- ( def. ) + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre “to hold”
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.
It offers a mix of physical and virtual servers; the latter uses DNS routing to obtain IP addresses from other countries.
From Salon
"The officers will be interviewed under caution, and we are currently obtaining further witness statements."
From BBC
Perez said she hopes Thursday’s ruling will result in “some type of justice, some type of fairness” for her son and others who have been stymied by the Sheriff’s Department in efforts to obtain information.
From Los Angeles Times
In response to questions about the grenade incident and the state’s ongoing efforts to obtain records, Gomez said Cal/OSHA is trying to avoid future tragedies.
From Los Angeles Times
The time it takes those applicants to obtain building permits has steadily grown from a median of 127 days in December, when The Times first calculated the figure, to 155 days currently.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
