achieve
Americanverb (used with object)
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achieves,
present (3rd person singular)
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achieved,
past participle, past
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achieving
present participle
verb (used without object)
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achieves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
achieved,
past participle, past
-
achieving
present participle
verb
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to bring to a successful conclusion; accomplish; attain
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to gain as by hard work or effort
to achieve success
Synonym Usage
See do 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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achievernoun
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superachievernoun
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outachieveverb (used with object)
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achievableadjective
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preachievedadjective
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unachievableadjective
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unachievedadjective
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well-achievedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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achievesimple
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achievessimple
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have achievedperfect
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has achievedperfect
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am achievingprogressive
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are achievingprogressive
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is achievingprogressive
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have been achievingperfect progressive
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has been achievingperfect progressive
Past
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achievedsimple
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had achievedperfect
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was achievingprogressive
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were achievingprogressive
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had been achievingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see chief
Explanation
If you achieve something, you've reached a goal. Achievements aren't accidents. If you stumble upon a treasure chest, you haven't achieved something; however, achieving a promotion to become CEO is another story. If someone asks you to give an example of the word achieve, you can always reach for Shakespeare's much quoted remark from his play Twelfth Night. In Act II, Scene V, the character Malvolio says, ". . . some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." Pundits like to throw that quote around when talking about politicians. Of course, they usually disagree about if, when, and how the politician achieved greatness.
Vocabulary lists containing achieve
The AP English Exam: The Language of the Test
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Workshop 1, Part 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Deutsche Bank’s base case is that due to fundamental limitations on the speed AI programs and systems can achieve, we won’t reach superintelligence.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Territorial acquisition was no longer necessary to achieve the objectives that earlier generations had pursued through expansion.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026
The team's calculations show that tungsten contamination at a concentration of just one part in 10,000 can approximately double the pressure required to achieve fusion ignition.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
"I thought we were very close to an agreement, but unfortunately that was tantalisingly difficult to achieve."
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
They did not know what the future would hold; but they did have a clear sense of what they were trying to achieve.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
If it achieves that, the spacecraft will then attempt to deploy satellites designed to expand the company's already massive satellite internet constellation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The central bank’s mandate is to set the target for the overnight rate at a level that achieves and maintains 2% inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
There’s a difference between a film that becomes a cult classic because it’s genuinely underrated, and one that achieves that status through the unholy, rose-colored lens of social media obsession.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Neil: Hopefully he helps the team progress and achieves Euro 2028 qualification.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
A wish that continually approaches but never achieves fulfillment.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
“We think recently achieved manufacturing efficiencies provide more flexibility than the market recognizes,” they said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
“The record-setting price achieved for the related Michael Jordan jersey is yet another corroborative result as to the significance of Jordan within the industry and popular culture.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The nuclear clock achieved a relative precision of approximately 10 to the power of minus 15, equivalent to an error of roughly one second over 30 million years.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
Over time, neither side achieved dominance within American conservatism; what emerged instead was a “fusion” of the two.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
But the Nazi leaders achieved their goal: In the spring of 1943, the SS sent ten thousand young recruits to a training camp near Beverloo, Belgium.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
And, really, that’s all achieving anything in this life is: manifestation.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Many clubs have tried to copy it without achieving the same level of success.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
I have had thousands of conversations over the years with young families who have dreams of living debt-free and achieving major financial goals, like owning a home or sending their children to college.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Project Meridian” will be focused on achieving technological superiority for “developing and fielding weapons and systems” for battlefields in the decades ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
I was proud of Father for wanting to be a dragon again, and even prouder of the fact that he was now so close to achieving his ambition to fly.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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.
