attain
[uh-teyn]
- to reach, achieve, or accomplish; gain; obtain: to attain one's goals.
- to come to or arrive at, especially after some labor or tedium; reach: to attain the age of 96; to attain the mountain peak.
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- to arrive at or succeed in reaching or obtaining something (usually followed by to or unto): to attain to knowledge.
- to reach in the course of development or growth: These trees attain to remarkable height.
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Origin of attain
1300–50; Middle English atei(g)nen < Anglo-French, Old French ateign- (stem of ateindre) < Vulgar Latin *attangere (for Latin attingere), equivalent to Latin at- at- + tangere to touch
Synonyms
See more synonyms for attain on Thesaurus.com1. secure. See gain1.
Antonyms
1, 2. miss.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for attain
Contemporary Examples
“The U.S. Navy will attain IOC [initial operational capability] in 2018 with 3F software,” DellaVedova wrote.
Dahl went on to attain nationwide fame and his own syndicated broadcast as a result of Disco Demolition Night.
Before you attempt this risky fashion move, you need to attain the chest necessary to fill out even the most modest of V-necks.
This family of doctrines held that human beings had the potential to attain immortality through their own agency.
Again, take weight loss: it appears that lacking a network of social support can make it much harder to attain.
Historical Examples
The ideal, or even my own ideal, I shall probably not attain.
And to attain it, we must be aware of its full meaning—and ready to pay its full price.
Every thought was bent to attain the end, no labour was deemed to arduous.
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
While God's Will may be for our happiness, we can attain to neither the happiness nor the Will—as yet.
The Conquest of FearBasil King
I may attain great merit by my struggle, but I cannot make myself a Kant.
Understanding the ScripturesFrancis McConnell
attain
- (tr) to achieve or accomplish (a task, goal, aim, etc)
- (tr) to reach or arrive at in space or timeto attain old age
- (intr often foll by to) to arrive (at) with effort or exertionto attain to glory
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French ateindre, from Latin attingere to reach, from tangere to touch
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
Word Origin and History for attain
v.
c.1300, "to succeed in reaching," from stem of Old French ataindre (11c., Modern French atteindre) "to come up to, reach, attain, endeavor, strive," from Vulgar Latin *adtangere, from Latin attingere "to touch, to arrive at," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + tangere "to touch" (see tangent). Latin attingere had a wide range of meanings, including "to attack, to strike, to appropriate, to manage," all somehow suggested by the literal sense "to touch." Related: Attained; attaining.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper