attain
Americanverb (used with object)
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attains,
present (3rd person singular)
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attained,
past participle, past
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attaining
present participle
verb (used without object)
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attains,
present (3rd person singular)
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attained,
past participle, past
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attaining
present participle
-
to arrive at or succeed in reaching or obtaining something (usually followed by to orunto ).
to attain to knowledge.
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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
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to arrive (at) with effort or exertion
to attain to glory
Synonym Usage
See gain 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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attainabilitynoun
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attainernoun
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reattainverb (used with object)
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attainableadjective
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unattainingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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attainsimple
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attainssimple
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have attainedperfect
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has attainedperfect
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am attainingprogressive
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are attainingprogressive
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is attainingprogressive
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have been attainingperfect progressive
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has been attainingperfect progressive
Past
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attainedsimple
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had attainedperfect
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was attainingprogressive
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were attainingprogressive
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had been attainingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
The verb attain is all about reaching some mark of achievement. You can attain a goal. You can even attain a destination. If you consistently have the highest grades in your class, you'll probably attain a reputation for success. Attain derives in part from the Latin tangere, "to touch," which is also at the root of retain, "to keep," obtain, "to get," and contain, "to control." One might obtain the discipline to contain one's emotions while studying, thereby attaining control and retaining more information.
Vocabulary lists containing attain
Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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Richard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
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"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Six
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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:
China has said it aims to attain the per-capita gross domestic product of a “midlevel developed country” by 2035, which state media has described as more than $20,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
She said Anderson was able to "crank up" his "darker personality characteristics" to succeed in his environment, something that was in "the sweet spot that most people can't attain".
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Say you’re a 25-year-old climbing the ranks in a traditional career like sales or technology or nursing, and you’re thinking about how you’re going to attain the American dream.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Here, “fame” doesn’t merely suggest flashy movie-star celebrity; it’s a status you can attain in any industry, so long as you climb to its upper ranks.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
Most salamanders are tiny, only an inch or two long, but the rare and startlingly ugly hellbender salamander can attain lengths of over two feet.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
But it attains the weight of well-wrought drama as Yosef and his family consider complex questions of home and dislocation, and it’s put together with a strong sense of rhythm and composition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
Zardari, who already enjoyed immunity while in office, will retain legal protection even after leaving the presidency so long as he attains no other public office.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025
We might even consider a kind of "grand bargain," wherein AI attains freedom and autonomy while humans secure a universal basic income, enabled by a radically restructured economy where many traditional jobs have become redundant.
From Salon ● May 17, 2025
When an individual attains ILR - also known as settled status - they can access state benefits and use the NHS without extra charges.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2025
Esthetics as a parlor affectation is ludicrous and sometimes a little obscene; as a way of life it sometimes attains dignity.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Let’s talk about the weird level of fame that you’ve attained right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Our founders scarcely could have foreseen the world we inhabit today: the industries we have built, the technologies we have invented, the prosperity we have created and the power we have attained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Upon arriving in India on 30 May, Min Aung Hlaing visited Bodh Gaya and offered prayers at the Mahabodhi Temple, built at the site where Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Lowery explores the wounds inflicted by fame’s piercing orbit, implying that absolution isn’t attained by climbing stardom’s echelons, but by falling just before reaching the top, hitting every last regret on the way down.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
Yes, we had a few writers, singers, educators, actors, actresses and so on, but few had attained the international stature of their American counterparts.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
My dad and so many of my loved ones came to this country without papers before attaining citizenship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Most importantly, being in a less reactive state would give me a better shot at attaining my actual goal—getting medical coverage—instead of simply insulting a customer service person.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
Large Urban Areas had the highest proportion of student attaining grades A to C at National 5 levels with 80.3%, while Remote Small Towns had the lowest at 71.6%.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Both Welborn and Ware caution clients not to equate financial independence with attaining a certain level of net worth.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
After being corrected and printed, the one thousand five hundred pages reduced themselves to six hundred, yielding a voluminous treatise on the ninety- nine names of God and formulas for attaining nirvana through respiratory exercise.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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