attained; attaining; attains
2
: to come into possession of : obtain
he attained preferment over his fellows
3
: to come to as the end of a progression or course of movement
They attained the top of the hill.
attain a ripe old age
: to come or arrive by motion, growth, or effort
—usually used with to
will probably attain to a height of six feet
Synonyms
Examples of attain in a Sentence
a quest to attain enlightenment
She refused to let the injury keep her from attaining her goal of being in the Olympics.
This kind of tree can attain a height of 20 feet within just a few years.
The car can attain a top speed of 200 mph.
Recent Examples on the Web
Even the blurry glimpses of the proton attained so far have gently reshaped researchers’ understanding of the particle.
—
Charlie Wood, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
His attempts to attain membership at private clubs were repeatedly rejected.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
The Revolution, the band that helped Prince attain worldwide success in the ’80s, will return to First Avenue June 21 and 22 for their first shows at the Minneapolis nightclub since 2017.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
In that case, the Court struck down a Seattle policy of using race as a factor in assigning students to high schools with the aim of attaining rough racial balance.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
In one such video, which has attained nearly 4 million views since it was published in October, Klee’s boyfriend strokes Luc, who is curled up into his chest like a human infant.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Spotify’s efforts to attain profitability via forays into video and podcasts have met with limited success.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
The actor and ‘The Sopranos’ alum went visited the Mahabodhi Temple, where Buddha originally attained enlightenment.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024
While there may be a certain appeal in wanting to attain effortlessly luscious, healthy hair by simply extending the number of days between shampoos with dry shampoo, for example, this might inadvertently cause excess oil and dirt to build up on your scalp.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
Charlie Wood, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
His attempts to attain membership at private clubs were repeatedly rejected.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
The Revolution, the band that helped Prince attain worldwide success in the ’80s, will return to First Avenue June 21 and 22 for their first shows at the Minneapolis nightclub since 2017.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2024
In that case, the Court struck down a Seattle policy of using race as a factor in assigning students to high schools with the aim of attaining rough racial balance.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
In one such video, which has attained nearly 4 million views since it was published in October, Klee’s boyfriend strokes Luc, who is curled up into his chest like a human infant.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Spotify’s efforts to attain profitability via forays into video and podcasts have met with limited success.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
The actor and ‘The Sopranos’ alum went visited the Mahabodhi Temple, where Buddha originally attained enlightenment.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024
While there may be a certain appeal in wanting to attain effortlessly luscious, healthy hair by simply extending the number of days between shampoos with dry shampoo, for example, this might inadvertently cause excess oil and dirt to build up on your scalp.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'attain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near attain
Cite this Entry
“Attain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attain. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
attain
verb
at·tain
ə-ˈtān 
1
: to reach as a goal : accomplish, achieve
2
: to come to possess : obtain
3
: to arrive at : reach
attain the top of the mountain
—often used with to
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