1
as in to achieve
to obtain (as a goal) through effort
Napoléon had attained mastery of much of Europe at that point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to earn
to receive as return for effort
with hard work she will inevitably attain success in her chosen profession
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of attain
It’s been demonstrated, for example, that greater savings can be attained for those with comparatively higher body mass indices.
—
Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
If natural sleep is attained by carefully dialing down our consciousness across several different parameters, anesthesia involves a more aggressive turn of these dials.
—Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025
Greece recently witnessed the world’s first International Humanoid Olympiad in Olympia, where humanoid robots played boxing and soccer matches to attain glory.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025
Moscow also recently balked at proposals to establish post-war security assurances for Ukraine, which fears a future Russian invasion even if a peace agreement were attained.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attain
Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
If natural sleep is attained by carefully dialing down our consciousness across several different parameters, anesthesia involves a more aggressive turn of these dials.
—Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025
Greece recently witnessed the world’s first International Humanoid Olympiad in Olympia, where humanoid robots played boxing and soccer matches to attain glory.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025
Moscow also recently balked at proposals to establish post-war security assurances for Ukraine, which fears a future Russian invasion even if a peace agreement were attained.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attain
Verb
-
Thirteen players have achieved this feat, with 10 of them doing so before 1980.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
That prominence was achieved when Cohesity, which previously held 5% of the market, acquired the 14% held by Veritas.—
Ganesh Rao,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Italian was in charge of Spurs when Spence joined them in July 2022, a couple of months after his electric performances at right wing-back helped Nottingham Forest earn promotion to the top flight via the Championship play-offs.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Mike Bedosky played for Mizzou football from 1989-92, earning two All-Big Eight selections as an offensive guard.—
Quentin Corpuel,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Charlotte forced five Tar Heels three-and-outs, held them to 33% on third-down attempts, and won the time of possession battle.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Even there, though, Green Bay’s 11-game winning streak against the Bears came to an end in Week 18 last season.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This was the lowest yardage gained in a game under coach Zac Taylor.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Shinjiro Koizumi, the telegenic political scion who has gained prominence as Ishiba’s farm minister tasked with trying to cap soaring prices, is another possible successor.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Organizations that can reap benefits from ecosystems effectively leverage the dynamic networks, where no single player can succeed alone.—
Edyta Pacuk,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
And now, five years later, the Guardians are still reaping the benefits of the deal.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The state agency, which is in charge of the unemployment program, will be required to search its archives and locate the people denied benefits and obtain their payment information in order to send out unemployment benefits they were denied, according to the order.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Although the recognition of other countries is also a key component of obtaining statehood, any Palestinian state established today would not meet the minimal criteria, according to Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute.—
Michele Chabin,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The performance, which garnered a robust reaction from the crowd, even got Ariana Grande to jump out of her seat as soon as Doja wrapped up on stage.—
Stacy Lambe,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Last year, Swift took home seven VMAs, garnering a total of 30 career wins and tying Beyoncé as the top winner.—
Caché McClay,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Raskin cites comments Patel made before being sworn in as FBI director.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In the press release regarding the official launch of the Program, Impel co-founder and CEO Devin Daly emphasized the impact the companies hope to make by helping industry employees gain the acumen to effectively work alongside AI.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attain. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share