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
With eight games left, however, there are goals the Current has yet to attain.
—
Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025
Less than 100 pairs of the original release were produced and the style attained mythical status over the years, at times feeling like a sneaker that could only be seen through screens.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
It’s been demonstrated, for example, that greater savings can be attained for those with comparatively higher body mass indices.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
If natural sleep is attained by carefully dialing down our consciousness across several different parameters, anesthesia involves a more aggressive turn of these dials.
—Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attain
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Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025
Less than 100 pairs of the original release were produced and the style attained mythical status over the years, at times feeling like a sneaker that could only be seen through screens.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
It’s been demonstrated, for example, that greater savings can be attained for those with comparatively higher body mass indices.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
If natural sleep is attained by carefully dialing down our consciousness across several different parameters, anesthesia involves a more aggressive turn of these dials.
—Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 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 7 Sep. 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
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