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
The teen's beatification took place in 2020, meaning the pope declared the teen attained the blessedness of heaven, and Acutis was given the title of Blessed.
—
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, inflation cooled in March, putting price increases well below a peak attained in 2022, fresh data last week showed.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2025
In fact, research suggests that at least half of those who attain leadership positions end up being ineffective, with many actively harming their teams, undermining morale, or driving dysfunction across their organizations.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Exchanging smiles seemed more important than attaining beauty: the thought of a fool.
—Sarah Miller, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attain
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, inflation cooled in March, putting price increases well below a peak attained in 2022, fresh data last week showed.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2025
In fact, research suggests that at least half of those who attain leadership positions end up being ineffective, with many actively harming their teams, undermining morale, or driving dysfunction across their organizations.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Exchanging smiles seemed more important than attaining beauty: the thought of a fool.
—Sarah Miller, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attain
Cite this Entry
“Attain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attain. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share