obtain
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.
to be prevalent, customary, or in vogue; prevail: the morals that obtained in Rome.
Archaic. to succeed.
Origin of obtain
1synonym study For obtain
Other words for obtain
Opposites for obtain
Other words from obtain
- ob·tain·a·ble, adjective
- ob·tain·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- ob·tain·er, noun
- ob·tain·ment, noun
- pre·ob·tain, verb (used with object)
- pre·ob·tain·a·ble, adjective
- re·ob·tain, verb (used with object)
- re·ob·tain·a·ble, adjective
- un·ob·tain·a·ble, adjective
- un·ob·tained, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use obtain in a sentence
Within a few days, we had obtained documents that showed payments the State Department had never previously disclosed.
The State Department wouldn’t reveal its payments to Mar-a-Lago. Here’s how we found them. | David Fahrenthold | October 30, 2020 | Washington PostIt turns out that Ivanka had managed to obtain nonbinding pledges of “training opportunities” — not jobs — over five years.
By calculating where the quantum extremal surface lies, researchers obtain two important pieces of information.
The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears Its End | George Musser | October 29, 2020 | Quanta MagazineStorytelling is a powerful way to help kids learn about themselves, ask questions, obtain data and draw their own conclusions.
Six ways adults can help children make sense of a divisive election | Phyllis Fagell | October 29, 2020 | Washington PostOur common goal is to obtain the human rights that America has been denying us.
This year’s elections will decide whether America witnesses a third Reconstruction | David Love | October 29, 2020 | Washington Post
The explorer, or settler, will not unfrequently have to sink wells for the obtainment of water for himself and his animals.
Immediately on obtainment this juice is extremely cool and sweet to the taste.
The two most commonly treated for its obtainment are Fraxinus rotundifolia and Ornus Europa.
Implant in my heart the accomplishment of Thy precepts, the abandonment of evil deeds and the obtainment of Thy blessings.
Orthodox Daily Prayers | AnonymousOn the other hand, the idea of an obtainment is simply that of a gift.
The Theology of Holiness | Dougan Clark
British Dictionary definitions for obtain
/ (əbˈteɪn) /
(tr) to gain possession of; acquire; get
(intr) to be customary, valid, or accepted: a new law obtains in this case
(tr) archaic to arrive at
(intr) archaic to win a victory; succeed
Origin of obtain
1Derived forms of obtain
- obtainable, adjective
- obtainability, noun
- obtainer, noun
- obtainment, noun
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
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