obtain
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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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:
It was meant to create a pathway for the government to obtain meaningful judicial review in deportation cases while keeping its evidence secret.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
More than a decade ago, a local data nerd was able to obtain taxi commission data and cross-reference it with photos on celebrity gossip blogs to purportedly show that some celebrities didn’t tip their drivers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
“When we have had complex cases in which a patient required additional anti-venom therapy, we have utilized existing protocols to obtain additional doses from our suppliers,” the statement said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Boeing has said it will obtain US certification in 2026 for the MAX 7 and MAX 10, and deliveries of the 777X will commence in 2027.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
In fact, under the federal sentencing guidelines, providing “substantial assistance” is often the only way defendants can hope to obtain a sentence below the mandatory minimum.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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
But she feels confident in the quality of the products she obtains because compounding pharmacies that prepare sterile injectables are required to test batches for potential contaminants and are regulated by state pharmacy boards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
To conduct its analysis, ProPublica obtained declination data from the DOJ and the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a center that obtains data through Freedom of Information Act requests.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 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
Anti-corruption detectives started working on Greer, and obtained his mobile phone number, which had previously not been held on his personnel file.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Income and property obtained during your marriage are considered marital or community property.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Volvo, whose majority owner is also Geely, obtained that same approval in May and will continue selling in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
“This incident was clearly not an unforeseeable accident as GKN has a well-documented history of regulatory violations at the site dating back over a decade,” states the letter, which was obtained by The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Karl obtained his PhD in philosophy from Columbia University—where one of his professors was Zbigniew Brzezinski.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
One Connecticut practice is obtaining awards of roughly $440,000 for the procedure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
His family said he had applied for a work permit and was on his way toward finally obtaining legal status.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Apple has asked the court to immediately prohibit OpenAI from obtaining or using any alleged confidential information and it is seeking unspecified monetary damages.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
In an emotional press conference, the younger Salgado said his father had worked for 30 years as a builder in the Houston area and was "close to obtaining his legal status."
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Over the years, we devised many ways of obtaining them, but back then we were not so adept.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
