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
Cheri Mossburg, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
On May 27, John Aravinth, 20, was found dead at Cwm Glas in North West Wales, senior coroner Kate Robertson reported in a hearing document obtained by PEOPLE.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
Under federal law, immigration agents must have probable cause to believe someone is in the country illegally and likely to flee before a warrant can be obtained, in order to arrest them without one, Jackson said.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 26 Nov. 2025
Court documents obtained by Newsweek show that her lawyer, Karrie Louden, and her carer, Cheryl Myers, mounted a legal challenge to block the brothers from gaining authority over the estate.
—Simon Crerar, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 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 27 Nov. 2025.
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obtain
verb
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