attract

verb

at·​tract ə-ˈtrakt 

attracted; attracting; attracts

transitive verb

: to cause to approach or adhere: such as

a

: to pull to or draw toward oneself or itself

A magnet attracts iron.

b

: to draw by appeal to natural or excited interest, emotion, or aesthetic sense : entice

attract attention

The museum attracts visitors.

intransitive verb

: to exercise attraction

Opposites attract.

attractor

ə-ˈtrak-tər 

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for attract

attract, allure, charm, captivate, fascinate, enchant mean to draw another by exerting a powerful influence.

attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another.

students attracted by the school's locale

allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive.

an alluring smile

charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response,

charmed by their hospitality

but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration.

her performances captivated audiences

fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist.

a story that continues to fascinate children

enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject.

hopelessly enchanted by her beauty

Examples of attract in a Sentence

The company has a difficult time attracting good employees because of its poor pay and benefits.

The chance to travel around the world attracted me to a career as a flight attendant.

The museum attracts visitors from all over the world.

The scent will attract certain insects.

Certain insects are attracted by the scent.

Her bright blue eyes attracted me.

The bird's colorful feathers are used to attract a mate.

Recent Examples on the Web

The case attracted national attention in part because of a flood of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

But behind the trend is a food with a nutritional profile that helps explain why sardines have attracted so much attention in the first place. — Olivia Laborde, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Jason Tutich, divisional vice president for West Shore Home’s New England region, said the company was attracted to the Hartford market in particular after learning that 72% percent of its housing market was built before 1970. — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 19 Aug. 2026

The cameras are designed to attract minimal attention and create as little disturbance as possible. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English attracten, borrowed from Latin attractus, past participle of attrahere "to draw with force, drag toward, compel to come," from ad- ad- + trahere "to drag, draw, take along" — more at abstract entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing attract

• attract/get someone's attention
• opposites attract

Rhymes for attract

• abstract
• attacked
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact
• intact

Kids Definition

attract

verb

at·​tract ə-ˈtrakt 

1

: to pull to or toward oneself or itself

a magnet attracts iron

2

: to draw by appealing to interest or feeling

attract attention

Etymology

Middle English attracten "attract, cause to adhere," derived from Latin attrahere, literally "to draw near," from at-, ad- "to, toward" and trahere "to draw" — related to abstract, trace entry 1, trace entry 3