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
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.
"Large language models have made it possible to do this kind of analysis much faster with a level of standardization that could be difficult to achieve before," says Sehgal.
From Science Daily • May 24, 2026
Building on the momentum, the company has set its sights on $100 billion in annual revenue—a goal it expects to achieve in the next two years.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Only by skillfully uniting the two groups—made easier to achieve by President Woodrow Wilson’s refusal to compromise—was Lodge able to prevent ratification and mark himself as a leader of consequence.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Barclays analyst Dan Levy called the goals hard to achieve.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
And above all, a prince should strive in all of his actions to achieve the reputation of a great man of outstanding intelligence.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
