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
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
Then, starting in 2022, the Adam Smith Center paid $20,000 for the think tank to continue producing the show under FIU’s umbrella, contract records obtained by WLRN show.
—Daniel Rivero, Miami Herald, 30 May 2026
Mounted troopers moved through the crowd on their horses to push protesters back, video from Freedom News TV obtained by CNN showed.
—Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Williams obtained the trademark to the group’s name in 2005 and has been performing without Clivillés.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for obtain
Cite this Entry
“Obtain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obtain. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
obtain
verb
