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
Similarly, the Pro-Independence Party, which has always struggled to garner votes, attained 14% as well.
—
TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
Young Miko attains a new milestone in her Billboard chart career as her full-length debut, Att., opens at No. 9 on Top Latin Albums and at No. 4 on Latin Rhythm Albums (dated April 20).
—Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024
When my player wanders into the Air and Space Museum or near the Tidal Basin for a protracted, desperate shootout, the game attains an emotional resonance that often eludes the medium.
—Alan Zilberman, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Rather, Walton says, there are three key building blocks: fascination, flow, and generativity, which can all be attained on one’s own terms.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
Instead, the people willing to shell out money for the status symbol consisted of a cocktail of Musk super-fans, right-wing trolls and others who would not have been able to attain a checkmark under the legacy system which required them to be a notable public figure.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Green Roads is an award-winning CBD company dedicated to helping every person attain better health through the power of plants.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
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
TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
Young Miko attains a new milestone in her Billboard chart career as her full-length debut, Att., opens at No. 9 on Top Latin Albums and at No. 4 on Latin Rhythm Albums (dated April 20).
—Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024
When my player wanders into the Air and Space Museum or near the Tidal Basin for a protracted, desperate shootout, the game attains an emotional resonance that often eludes the medium.
—Alan Zilberman, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Rather, Walton says, there are three key building blocks: fascination, flow, and generativity, which can all be attained on one’s own terms.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
Instead, the people willing to shell out money for the status symbol consisted of a cocktail of Musk super-fans, right-wing trolls and others who would not have been able to attain a checkmark under the legacy system which required them to be a notable public figure.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Green Roads is an award-winning CBD company dedicated to helping every person attain better health through the power of plants.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
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
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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Cite this Entry
“Attain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attain. Accessed 1 May. 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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