attain
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to arrive at or succeed in reaching or obtaining something (usually followed by to orunto ).
to attain to knowledge.
-
to reach in the course of development or growth.
These trees attain to remarkable height.
verb
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(tr) to achieve or accomplish (a task, goal, aim, etc)
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(tr) to reach or arrive at in space or time
to attain old age
-
to arrive (at) with effort or exertion
to attain to glory
Related Words
See gain 1.
Other Word Forms
- attainability noun
- attainable adjective
- attainer noun
- reattain verb (used with object)
- unattaining adjective
Etymology
Origin of attain
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English atei(g)nen, from Anglo-French, Old French ateign- (stem of ateindre ), from unattested Vulgar Latin attangere (for Latin attingere ), equivalent to Latin at- at- + tangere “to touch”
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.
Considering Apple’s sweeping base of roughly 2.4 billion users, “we believe incremental gains from technology upgrade cycles will become more difficult to attain, much less move the needle,” Fairbanks continued.
From Barron's
As I crouched behind a rippling fountain, stretching and contorting my body to attain the correct angle, I began to wonder, “Do the Lumineers think I’m some kind of a lunatic?”
From Los Angeles Times
Leavitt also congratulated President John F. Kennedy and said "this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur".
From BBC
Each has a master’s degree in the computer-science area and each is employed and living in their own condos that we helped them attain with the down payment.
From MarketWatch
That initial public offering was oversubscribed by 2750 times and has increased in value by six times since floating, attaining a market capitalization of around $44 billion.
From MarketWatch
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.
