attraction

noun at·trac·tion \ ə-ˈtrak-shən \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of attraction

1 a : the act, process, or power of attracting

b : personal charm

2 : the action or power of drawing forth a response : an attractive quality

3 : a force acting mutually between particles of matter, tending to draw them together, and resisting their separation

4 : something that attracts or is intended to attract people by appealing to their desires and tastes

coming attractions

See attraction defined for English-language learners

See attraction defined for kids

Examples of attraction in a Sentence

The waterfall continues to be the main attraction at the park.
The town's big attraction for movie lovers is the annual film festival.
She is the star attraction of the show.
There's a strong sexual attraction between them.
His attraction to her grew over the course of their time together.
A good relationship is based on more than just physical attraction.
I understand the attraction of skydiving, but I could never do it.
What are the attractions of owning your own business?

Recent Examples of attraction from the Web

Jeff is one of the featured attractions on XBTV and knows a ton about horse racing and handicapping.

— john cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! Our weekly handicapping lesson from Rob Henie," 21 Apr. 2018
The dinosaur attraction opened in December and includes more than 50 animatronic dinosaurs in a 20,000-square-foot space.

— sonja haller, azcentral, "Free Dino Day at OdySea in the Desert. Dig for fossils, play with roaming dinosaurs," 20 Apr. 2018
The event begins Saturday morning in Troy, visits a few attractions in Detroit — the Packard Plant and Heidelberg Project were on the 2017 route — before a lunch stop in Eastern Market and heading a couple of hours north to the off-road rally.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Zombie Apocalypse? No, just a 500-mile race for $500 cars," 20 Apr. 2018
The figure was originally housed in Epcot’s Ellen’s Energy Adventure attraction.

— Time, "That Animatronic Ellen DeGeneres That Went Viral Is Up For Auction," 19 Apr. 2018
And because Riverdale is nothing if not messy, Kevin finds them, which is a circumstance made awkward by the mutual attraction between the boys that has been an undercurrent in their storyline for nearly the entire series.

— ella cerón, Teen Vogue, ""Riverdale" Actor Emilija Baranac on the Bloody Plot Twist and Saying Goodbye to Midge Klump," 19 Apr. 2018
But the irony is that sometimes local folks miss the chance to take in the attraction.

— linda mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Flower Fields now in full bloom," 19 Apr. 2018
Their best deal is a Season Pass for $44.99: unlimited attractions through Dec. 31.

— gunnar johnson, southflorida.com, "8 South Florida mini-golf courses worth taking a swing at," 18 Apr. 2018
Each Friday a new contest will start for a pair or pack of tickets to a local event (think your favorite baseball or soccer team) or attraction.

— Cincinnati.com, "FREE Ticket Fridays," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'attraction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of attraction

circa 1575

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

attraction Synonyms

Synonyms

draw, lodestone (also loadstone), magnet;

allure, allurement, bait, enticement, fascination, lure, temptation, turn-on;

appeal, call;

incentive, inducement, persuasion, spur, stimulus;

curiosity, sight(s), spectacle;

Synonym Discussion of attraction

attraction, affinity, sympathy mean the relationship existing between things or persons that are naturally or involuntarily drawn together. attraction implies the possession by one thing of a quality that pulls another to it.

- felt an attraction to danger

affinity implies a susceptibility or predisposition on the part of the one drawn.

- an affinity for mathematics

sympathy implies a reciprocal or natural relation between two things that are both susceptible to the same influence.

- two minds in sympathy

ATTRACTION Defined for English Language Learners

attraction

noun

Definition of attraction for English Language Learners

: something interesting or enjoyable that people want to visit, see, or do
: a performer who people want to see
: a feeling that makes someone romantically or sexually interested in another person