achieve

American

[uh-cheev] / əˈtʃiv /

verb (used with object)

achieved, achieving

to bring to a successful end; carry through; accomplish.

The police crackdown on speeders achieved its purpose.

Synonyms:

reach, realize, execute, effect, complete, consummate
to get or attain by effort; gain; obtain.

to achieve victory.

Synonyms:

win, realize

verb (used without object)

achieved, achieving

to bring about an intended result; accomplish some purpose or effect.

achieve British

/ əˈtʃiːv /

verb

to bring to a successful conclusion; accomplish; attain
to gain as by hard work or effort

to achieve success

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

"With a heavy heart, having failed to achieve the goal we set ourselves, I consider my time as coach of the national team to be over," Gattuso said.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Doncic scored 600 points last month, joining Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to achieve the feat in March.

From Los Angeles Times • 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

Epic Fury is the technological and tactical offspring of Desert Storm, whose air campaign was history’s first attempt to achieve the political and military aims of war from the air.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

People of color, because of the history of racial subjugation and exclusion, often experience success and failure vicariously through the few who achieve positions of power, fame, and fortune.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023