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
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
Waymo states that these sensors are necessary to attain high levels of safety.
—
Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Meanwhile, looksmaxxers with an especially large following of hundreds of thousands of people on social media platforms like TikTok and Kick have attained pop-culture status.
—Jordyn Tovey, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
The Athletic spoke to several players and involved parties about a moment that threatened to derail a championship season, as well as the fallout and ways that a veteran-laden team rallied to overcome it to attain what still stands as the Rangers’ most recent championship.
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Many other people reject formal education (for other people, though usually not for their own kids) as unnecessary to attaining the highest ranks of wealth and power.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for attain
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Brad Templeton, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Meanwhile, looksmaxxers with an especially large following of hundreds of thousands of people on social media platforms like TikTok and Kick have attained pop-culture status.
—Jordyn Tovey, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
The Athletic spoke to several players and involved parties about a moment that threatened to derail a championship season, as well as the fallout and ways that a veteran-laden team rallied to overcome it to attain what still stands as the Rangers’ most recent championship.
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Many other people reject formal education (for other people, though usually not for their own kids) as unnecessary to attaining the highest ranks of wealth and power.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for attain
Cite this Entry
“Attain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attain. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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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