Roger Manvell
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If you have difficulty choosing whether to use obtain or attain in a sentence, don’t worry, we get it. Both can mean “to get” or “to acquire,” and in some situations can be used synonymously, but one or the other might be more appropriate depending on what is being acquired and how. One clue is their respective etymologies: obtain comes to us via Anglo-French from the Latin verb obtinēre, meaning “to hold on to, possess,” while attain’s Anglo-French ancestor is ateindre, meaning “to reach” or “to accomplish.” Accordingly, obtain is usually the word used when you are acquiring, by planned effort, a tangible object—something you can hold. “We are having trouble obtaining the supplies we need” sounds natural, for example, while “Have you attained the sugar and flour I asked for?” does not. Reflecting its roots (and also implying effort), attain is often used in the same way as achieve, as in “After decades of hard work she attained her goal of earning a PhD.” Of course, one can also obtain intangible things, such as power or information, so consider this advice something to hold onto and consider when the moment arises—you needn’t cling to it.
Examples of obtain in a Sentence
Armando Garcia, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2025
Robinson appeared to admit guilt in a Discord chat group the day after Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University, according to screenshots obtained by the Washington Post.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Intelligence obtained by South Korea suggests that its neighbor, North Korea, has received a nuclear reactor from Russia for the development of its submarine fleet.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
He was booked for one count of entering an automobile or other motor vehicle with intent to commit theft or felony, according to jail records obtained by PEOPLE.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obtain
Cite this Entry
“Obtain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obtain. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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obtain
verb
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