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Synonyms

obtain

American

[uhb-teyn] / əbˈteɪn /

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.

Synonyms:

attain, win, earn, achieve, gain

Antonyms:

forgo, lose
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.

obtain British

/ əbˈteɪn /

verb

(tr) to gain possession of; acquire; get
(intr) to be customary, valid, or accepted

a new law obtains in this case
archaic (tr) to arrive at
archaic (intr) to win a victory; succeed

"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

Synonym Usage

See get.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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:

obtain obtains obtained obtaining

Abeles called into question why the county counsel didn’t obtain outside counsel for the oversight commission, a choice the ruling says raises “serious issues.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

In the past, scammers would have manually combed through social-media profiles and other online data to piece together details about potential targets and obtain contact information.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

It made sense to pursue further talks to obtain improvements, he added.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

"This truly demonstrates the power of building atomically precise heterostructures of emergent two-dimensional quantum materials to obtain on-demand electronic and magnetic properties," Katoch said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026

Problem Solve as to how to obtain food after the railroad lines were cut off, strategize as to earlier successes during the war.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

The Social Security Administration obtains medical records to determine a person’s eligibility when they apply for disability benefits.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 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

The text of both the ADA and Section 504 plainly applies to “qualified individuals with disabilities,” without any reference to where the disabled person obtains a covered service.

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2025

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

BBC West Investigations has obtained a copy of the notes from Scatchard's parole hearing.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

At relatively low levels, including the quantities typically obtained from fruit, gut bacteria appear to be effective at removing sorbitol.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

The land records show he obtained a $640,000 mortgage for it.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

The 74-page filing, obtained by The Wall Street Journal through a document request, offers a look at how the longtime Cantor Fitzgerald head has scaled back his business involvements since joining President Trump’s cabinet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

She could tell that Dickinson was a layperson where ships were concerned, and she made smart guesses about where and how Dickinson had obtained her information.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Is there any way to add beneficiaries or otherwise avoid probate without obtaining an MSG?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Breast cancer is not included in France's official list of occupational diseases, meaning that obtaining recognition can be a lengthy and difficult ordeal for patients.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

It claims Twitch breached its contract with users by using that content as AI training data for Amazon's models without obtaining their permission.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The decision also makes obtaining green cards more difficult.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

I mean, honestly, I would like to cast Hannah as the character who eats live animals with the hopes of obtaining their life force, but she didn’t show up.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023