Definitions for attain
əˈteɪnat·tain

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:1.5 / 2 votes

1. achieve, accomplish, attain, reachverb

   to gain with effort

   "she achieved her goal despite setbacks"

2. reach, hit, attainverb

   reach a point in time, or a certain state or level

   "The thermometer hit 100 degrees"; "This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour"

3. fall upon, strike, come upon, light upon, chance upon, come across, chance on, happen upon, attain, discoververb

   find unexpectedly

   "the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb"; "she struck a goldmine"; "The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake"

4. reach, make, attain, hit, arrive at, gainverb

   reach a destination, either real or abstract

   "We hit Detroit by noon"; "The water reached the doorstep"; "We barely made it to the finish line"; "I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. attainverb

   To accomplish; to achieve.

   To attain such a high level of proficiency requires hours of practice each day.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Attainnoun

   The thing attained; attainment: a word notin not in use.

   Etymology: from the verb.

   Crowns and diadems, the most splendid terrene attains, are akin to that which to-day is in the field, and to-morrow is cut down. Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis.

2. To ATTAINverb

   Etymology: atteindre, Fr. attineo, Lat.

   1. To gain; to procure; to obtain.

   Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain unto it. Ps. cxxxix. 6.

   Is he wise who hopes to attain the end without the means, nay by means that are quite contrary to it? John Tillotson.

   2. To overtake; to come up with: a sense now little in use.

   The earl hoping to have overtaken the Scottish king, and to have given him battle; but not attaining him in time, set down before the castle of Aton. Francis Bacon, Henry VII.

   3. To come to; to enter upon.

   Canaan he now attains; I see his tents
   Pitch’d above Sichem. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. xii.

   4. To reach; to equal.

   So the first precedent, if it be good, is seldom attained by imitation. Francis Bacon, Essays.

   To have knowledge in most objects of contemplation, is what the mind of one man can hardly attain unto. John Locke.

3. To Attainverb

   1. To come to a certain state.

   Milk will soon separate itself into a cream, and a more serous liquor, which, after twelve days, attains to the highest degree of acidity. John Arbuthnot, on Aliments.

   2. To arrive at.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. attain

   To attain means to succeed in achieving or reaching a particular goal or objective, usually after a lot of effort or hard work. It can also refer to reaching or arriving at a particular state, level, or condition.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Attainverb

   to achieve or accomplish, that is, to reach by efforts; to gain; to compass; as, to attain rest

2. Attainverb

   to gain or obtain possession of; to acquire

3. Attainverb

   to get at the knowledge of; to ascertain

4. Attainverb

   to reach or come to, by progression or motion; to arrive at

5. Attainverb

   to overtake

6. Attainverb

   to reach in excellence or degree; to equal

7. Attainverb

   to come or arrive, by motion, growth, bodily exertion, or efforts toward a place, object, state, etc.; to reach

8. Attainverb

   to come or arrive, by an effort of mind

9. Attainnoun

   attainment

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Attain

   at-tān′, v.t. to reach or gain by effort: to obtain: to reach a place: to reach.—v.i. to come or arrive: to reach.—adj. Attain′able, that may be reached.—ns. Attain′ableness, Attainabil′ity; Attain′ment, act of attaining: the thing attained: acquisition: (pl.) acquirements in learning. [O. Fr. ataindre—L. atting-ĕre—ad, to, tang-ĕre, to touch.]

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Attain

   Obtain vs. Attain -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Obtain and Attain.

Matched Categories

1. • Find

British National Corpus

1. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'attain' in Verbs Frequency: #971

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Anagrams for attain »

1. tatian

How to pronounce attain?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say attain in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of attain in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of attain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of attain in a Sentence

1. Debasish Mridha, M.D.:

   You attain happiness not by gaining, but by giving.

2. James Allen:

   He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.

3. Goa Kerle:

   We can only attain the best possible conditions if we work to put in place the best possible conditions necessary for their attainment.

4. Orison Swett Marden:

   We lift ourselves by our thought, we climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always, everywhere - your ideal of what you long to attain - the ideal of health, efficiency, success.

5. Foodi S. M.:

   New day means new experience, new lesson, new success and sure another chance to attain your goals.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=attain
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Attain
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=attain
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attain
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=attain
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=attain