obtain
[ uhb-teyn ]
/ əbˈteɪn /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object)
to come into possession of; get, acquire, or procure, as through an effort or by a request: to obtain permission; to obtain a better income.
Obsolete. to attain or reach.
verb (used without object)
to be prevalent, customary, or in vogue; prevail: the morals that obtained in Rome.
Archaic. to succeed.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of obtain
1375–1425; late Middle English obteinen, from Middle French obtenir, from Latin obtinēre “to take hold of,” equivalent to ob- ob- + -tinēre (combining form of tenēre “to hold”)
synonym study for obtain
1. See get.
OTHER WORDS FROM obtain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
British Dictionary definitions for obtain
obtain
/ (əbˈteɪn) /
verb
(tr) to gain possession of; acquire; get
(intr) to be customary, valid, or accepteda new law obtains in this case
(tr) archaic to arrive at
(intr) archaic to win a victory; succeed
Derived forms of obtain
obtainable, adjectiveobtainability, nounobtainer, nounobtainment, nounWord Origin for obtain
C15: via Old French from Latin obtinēre to take hold of, from ob- (intensive) + tenēre to hold
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