obtain
Americanverb (used with object)
-
obtains,
present (3rd person singular)
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obtained,
past participle, past
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obtaining
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
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
-
obtainedsimple
-
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
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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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:
According to Müller, the laser system should make it possible to obtain contrast directly from phase changes in a focused electron beam.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
The court heard how Robinson used a private detective to obtain telephone numbers and emails for the journalists.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
After decades of extraction, the biggest deposits have been depleted, meaning companies have to process ever more ore to obtain the same quantities of the metal.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
States obtain federal matching funds based on those proceeds, then return money to providers through supplemental payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
It was the time of the junta, and because he couldn’t obtain the necessary medicines, he watched helplessly as the first patient died from the disease.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
The Social Security Administration obtains medical records to determine a person’s eligibility when they apply for disability benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
She obtains injectable peptides from them because, she says, there is less or no enforcement of how compounds made in such pharmacies are categorized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
"Immediate supply shortages" were not expected as Germany only obtains a small proportion of its energy supplies from the Middle East, it said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 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
“It was a most beautiful sight one obtains in the descent of the car, for then the whole fair grounds is laid before you,” Gronau said.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Court transcripts obtained by BBC Scotland News have revealed that trial judge Dabney Friedrich rejected the defence motion.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
"The results obtained this week revealed traces of AI tags in the metadata of certain documents," Boreal said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
This should be earnings accretive for Electricity Generating from 2027 as relevant U.S. regulatory approvals are expected to be obtained by early January 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
For the Emory patient group, the researchers were able to compare results obtained from generalized connectivity maps with those based on individual diffusion imaging.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
From there, he'd obtained a visitor's visa to the United States.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
And, the former German spy chief August Hanning was arrested on suspicion of espionage, treason and obtaining classified information for a foreign power earlier this month.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
People obtaining experimental medications through unapproved channels may not be represented in those systems.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
There are various roadblocks, such as securing massive amounts of graphics processing units, paying for all of those, navigating political resistance to data centers and obtaining sufficient power.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Anthropic in a draft IPO prospectus reviewed by The Wall Street Journal says it could potentially spend $750 billion in the coming years on obtaining more computing capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Even Harold Urey, who was a member of the Briggs committee, had no luck obtaining access to other scientists’ work to help him develop an isotope separation process for uranium.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
