Definitions for obtain
əbˈteɪnob·tain

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. obtainverb

   come into possession of

   "How did you obtain the visa?"

2. receive, get, find, obtain, incurverb

   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, obtainverb

   be valid, applicable, or true

   "This theory still holds"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. obtainverb

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

2. obtainverb

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

3. obtainverb

   To prevail, be victorious; to succeed.

4. obtainverb

   To hold; to keep, possess or occupy.

5. obtainverb

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

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

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

1. Obtainverb

   to hold; to keep; to possess

2. Obtainverb

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

3. Obtainverb

   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. Obtainverb

   to prevail; to succeed

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(2.00 / 2 votes)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.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. obtain

   To get hold of by effort; to gain possession of.

Matched Categories

1. • Change
   • Exist
   • Get

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

How to pronounce obtain?

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 obtain in sign language?

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. Duncan Lorimer:

   This exciting discovery highlights how little we know about the origin of FRBs, further observations of a larger number of FRBs will be needed in order to obtain a clearer picture about these periodic sources and elucidate their origin.

2. Andrew Jackson:

   Peace, above all things, is to be desired, but blood must sometimes be spilled to obtain it on equable and lasting terms.

3. White House:

   The Framers did not envision the use of the presidential pardon power to encourage criminal acts at the President's direction, as the Committee continues its investigation into whether to recommend articles of impeachment, it is imperative that we are able to obtain information about ongoing presidential misconduct and abuses of power.

4. Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus:

   Whether it’s the weak Obama-Clinton nuclear deal that paves the way for Iran to obtain an atomic bomb or Martin O’Malley’s absurd claim that climate change is responsible for ISIS, it’s abundantly clear no one in the Democratic Party has the foreign policy vision to keep America safe.

5. Sanita Belgrave:

   Mirror, Mirror on the wall, I’m ready to face today and obtain it ALL.

Popularity rank by frequency of use