obtain
Americanverb (used with object)
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obtains,
present (3rd person singular)
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obtained,
past participle, past
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obtaining
present participle
verb (used without object)
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obtains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
obtained,
past participle, past
-
obtaining
present participle
-
to be prevalent, customary, or in vogue; prevail.
the morals that obtained in Rome.
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Archaic. to succeed.
verb
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(tr) to gain possession of; acquire; get
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(intr) to be customary, valid, or accepted
a new law obtains in this case
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archaic (tr) to arrive at
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archaic (intr) to win a victory; succeed
Synonym Usage
See get.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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obtainabilitynoun
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obtainernoun
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obtainmentnoun
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preobtainverb (used with object)
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reobtainverb (used with object)
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obtainableadjective
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preobtainableadjective
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reobtainableadjective
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unobtainableadjective
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unobtainedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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obtainsimple
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obtainssimple
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have obtainedperfect
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has obtainedperfect
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am obtainingprogressive
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are obtainingprogressive
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is obtainingprogressive
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have been obtainingperfect progressive
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has been obtainingperfect progressive
Past
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obtainedsimple
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had obtainedperfect
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was obtainingprogressive
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were obtainingprogressive
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had been obtainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of obtain
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English obteinen, from Middle French obtenir, from Latin obtinēre “to take hold of,” equivalent to ob- ob- ( def. ) + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre “to hold”
Explanation
Obtain means to get something that is not so easy to come by such as knowledge, rights, or a large amount of money. You wouldn't say you obtained a pair of pants, unless they were one of a kind. At times in its history, obtain has meant to be victorious or to succeed. Today, it mostly means to acquire, but keeping its prior meanings in mind helps you to use it in the right way. College degrees are something that you obtain as is permission from your parents to go to a party. When you obtain something, you have worked hard to get it, so you are pretty happy to have it.
Vocabulary lists containing obtain
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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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:
Although vacuum birefringence was predicted in the 1930s, Dr. Lower said scientists have yet to obtain a definitive detection.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
Before its services can run, Virgin still needs to procure a rolling stock of trains for the route, gain access to other rail networks and obtain safety approvals from British and European Union authorities.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
He has encouraged all of the Haitian workers at his restaurants to obtain legal working papers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
After all, the very nature of how Green Lanterns obtain their superhuman abilities involves cosmically empowered rings choosing their wearers.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
By stringing the fiber along a gap in a stretch of wire—a bent paper clip worked marvelously—he hoped to diffract X-rays and obtain images.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Social Security Administration obtains medical records to determine a person’s eligibility when they apply for disability benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
And if the inmate obtains a new injunction, he can be transferred again, and the whole process starts over.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
Through it all, Mr. Trump has limited the U.S. responses to self-defense and insisted the cease-fire still obtains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
But Merz insisted that he still shared Trump's goal of ensuring Iran never obtains an atomic weapon, even if he has criticised the US handling of the conflict.
From Barron's ● May 3, 2026
We do not know what transpires within the Town, but there is much Word among the assembled Regiments that it is become a Prison & only those who obtains Passes from Gen. Gage may leave.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
“Tail hedges remain ridiculously cheap,” said Goldman Sachs’ Rich Privorotsky in commentary obtained by MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The DOJ, Sikma reported, had already obtained public voter rolls for many other states.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
But investigators have not yet found documentation showing that permission from Tamil Nadu's Chief Wildlife Warden had been obtained for the animals to be brought into the state, the official said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
As of July 30, xAI, now a part of SpaceX, had 69 temporary turbines at the site, according to an agreement with local regulators obtained through a public records request.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
She and the Congressional Union obtained ten tickets to the president’s first speech to Congress since his reelection.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
In some cases, they are seeking to add new skills, obtaining certifications to demonstrate their fluency in the technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The time commitments involved in obtaining these credentials vary.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Immigration authorities said the two Dutch men had violated immigration laws by organising the running event without obtaining permits.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
"They can be instrumental artifacts or other structures in the debris disk. By obtaining a spectrum at the same time as the image, we were able to quickly confirm our suspicions."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
Though hawking had a practical purpose — obtaining meat for the table — this was perhaps less important than the excitement and prestige the sport provided.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
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.
