attraction
Americannoun
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the act, power, or property of attracting.
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attractive quality; magnetic charm; fascination; allurement; enticement.
the subtle attraction of her strange personality.
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a person or thing that draws, attracts, allures, or entices.
The main attraction was the after-dinner speaker.
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a characteristic or quality that provides pleasure; attractive feature.
The chief attractions of the evening were the good drinks and witty conversation.
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Physics. the electric or magnetic force that acts between oppositely charged bodies, tending to draw them together.
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an entertainment offered to the public.
noun
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the act, power, or quality of attracting
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a person or thing that attracts or is intended to attract
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a force by which one object attracts another, such as the gravitational or electrostatic force
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a change in the form of one linguistic element caused by the proximity of another element
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of attraction
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English attraccioun, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin attractiōn-, stem of attractiō; equivalent to attract + -ion
Explanation
The charm or special quality of something that draws you to it is its attraction. The attraction of a college might be its sports program, for example, or the attraction of a job might be its high pay. An attraction can be a physical force as well as a psychological one — though sometimes, as with love, it can be hard to tell the two apart. Planets have a gravitational attraction to each other, as do opposite magnetic poles. Attraction can also refer to a public entertainment, such as a popular place or a performer or event. You might line up to visit a tourist attraction, or look forward to seeing the main attraction go onstage.
Vocabulary lists containing attraction
Electricity and Magnetism - Introductory
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Structure and Properties of Matter - Middle School
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Physics - Introductory
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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.
But after Thursday’s ceremony, there is little doubt that the Obama Presidential Center will be a popular attraction in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago.
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2026
Once open, it is predicted to become the biggest tourist attraction in the UK.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
The Tonopah Historic Mining Park is a big tourist attraction, along with the Clown Motel and other lodging establishments supposedly haunted by the ghosts of dead miners and other paranormal phenomena.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
Or they could simply be arresting abstractions in a sculpture that sits aesthetically between formal attraction and repulsion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
“I’m categorizing them according to attraction type,” said Marjory.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
