Definitions for obtain
əbˈteɪnob·tain

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. obtain(verb)

   come into possession of

   "How did you obtain the visa?"

2. receive, get, find, obtain, incur(verb)

   receive a specified treatment (abstract)

   "These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation"; "His movie received a good review"; "I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions"

3. prevail, hold, obtain(verb)

   be valid, applicable, or true

   "This theory still holds"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. obtain(Verb)

   To get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way.

2. obtain(Verb)

   To secure (that) a specific objective or state of affairs be reached.

3. obtain(Verb)

   To prevail, be victorious; to succeed.

4. obtain(Verb)

   To hold; to keep, possess or occupy.

5. obtain(Verb)

   To exist or be the case; to hold true, be in force.

Origin: From obtenir, optiner et al., and obtenir, from obtinere, from ob- + tenere.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Obtain(verb)

   to hold; to keep; to possess

2. Obtain(verb)

   to get hold of by effort; to gain possession of; to procure; to acquire, in any way

3. Obtain(verb)

   to become held; to gain or have a firm footing; to be recognized or established; to subsist; to become prevalent or general; to prevail; as, the custom obtains of going to the seashore in summer

4. Obtain(verb)

   to prevail; to succeed

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Obtain

   ob-tān′, v.t. to lay hold of: to hold: to procure by effort: to gain: to keep possession of.—v.i. to be established: to continue in use: to become customary or prevalent: to hold good: (rare) to succeed.—adj. Obtain′able, that may be obtained, procured, or acquired.—ns. Obtain′er; Obtain′ment; Obten′tion, procurement.—Obtain to (Bacon), to attain to. [Fr.,—L. obtinēre—ob, upon, tenēre, to hold.]

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'obtain' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2198

2. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'obtain' in Verbs Frequency: #175

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of obtain in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of obtain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of obtain in a Sentence

1. Doris Lessing:

   Some people obtain fame, others deserve it.

2. Oliver Wendell Holmes:

   To obtain a man's opinion of you, make him mad.

3. Italian Proverb:

   By asking for the impossible we obtain the possible.

4. Jamal Hussain:

   I will finally have the chance to obtain an identity.

5. Italian Proverb:

   By asking for the impossible, obtain the best possible.

Images & Illustrations of obtain

Popularity rank by frequency of use