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
Not all accessories are functionally adequate enough to attain the status of a capsule-worthy piece, but then again, no other item’s addition can single-handedly make any outfit more appropriate for a frigid January day like that of a statement scarf.
—
Jasmine Fox-Suliaman, InStyle, 21 Jan. 2026
This portfolio has consistently outshined its benchmark—a composite of the S&P 500, Russell, and S&P MidCap indexes—and attained returns exceeding 105% since its inception.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Trump and his team have sought and attained some legislative reforms, winning significant new funding and authority in last year’s reconciliation bill.
—Yuval Levin, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
Though researchers debate whether LLMs could ever attain AGI, many see LLMs as a component of future AI systems.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for attain
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Jasmine Fox-Suliaman, InStyle, 21 Jan. 2026
This portfolio has consistently outshined its benchmark—a composite of the S&P 500, Russell, and S&P MidCap indexes—and attained returns exceeding 105% since its inception.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Trump and his team have sought and attained some legislative reforms, winning significant new funding and authority in last year’s reconciliation bill.
—Yuval Levin, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
Though researchers debate whether LLMs could ever attain AGI, many see LLMs as a component of future AI systems.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 17 Jan. 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 28 Jan. 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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