1
as in achieving
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 earning
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
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Recent Examples of attaining
Meditation is a pivotal force in attaining desires.
—
Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Decreasing food intake seems to be the most beneficial for attaining weight loss.
—Kim Pfotenhauer, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
Many other people reject formal education (for other people, though usually not for their own kids) as unnecessary to attaining the highest ranks of wealth and power.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Success will be determined around that goal — either attaining it or at minimum, looking like a real threat to do so.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 4 May 2026
Granted, his policy regarding Iran not attaining a nuclear weapon is a good one.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 May 2026
Presenting decent, competitive teams with the prospect of attaining the best lottery odds will only further encourage those in the middle of the standings to hold a fire sale at the trade deadline to try to drop down.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The first season ended on a final note, and became wildly popular upon its 2023 release, attaining the coveted top spot on the streaming viewership rankings and winning eight Emmys.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
For years, Dean Potter stood atop the climbing world, attaining a mystique as a rebellious spirit who carved his own path up mountains and into the sky — through BASE jumping and wingsuit flying.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Decreasing food intake seems to be the most beneficial for attaining weight loss.
—Kim Pfotenhauer, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
Many other people reject formal education (for other people, though usually not for their own kids) as unnecessary to attaining the highest ranks of wealth and power.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Success will be determined around that goal — either attaining it or at minimum, looking like a real threat to do so.
—Varun Shankar, Houston Chronicle, 4 May 2026
Granted, his policy regarding Iran not attaining a nuclear weapon is a good one.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 3 May 2026
Presenting decent, competitive teams with the prospect of attaining the best lottery odds will only further encourage those in the middle of the standings to hold a fire sale at the trade deadline to try to drop down.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The first season ended on a final note, and became wildly popular upon its 2023 release, attaining the coveted top spot on the streaming viewership rankings and winning eight Emmys.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
For years, Dean Potter stood atop the climbing world, attaining a mystique as a rebellious spirit who carved his own path up mountains and into the sky — through BASE jumping and wingsuit flying.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attaining
Verb
-
Jamie received the Trustees’ Award for achieving the highest cumulative grade point average over the past four years at LJCDS.—
La Jolla Light,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
The biggest hurdle is achieving Federal Aviation Administration certification.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
In 2022, drivers for food delivery platforms Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, and Relay were revealed by New York’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to be earning half their income in pay, and half in tips.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
-
Compared to Florida’s other high-earning workers, Rodrigues and Kamoutsas also make the most relative to the median pay of their departmental colleagues.—
Shirsho Dasgupta
May 28,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The Oscar-winning actor is miscast and never becomes his legendary character, which puts a damper on the film.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
-
Ganesha received three hits from Logan Schmidt to rally for a 2-1 win over Newport Harbor, winning it on a walk-off hit batter in the bottom of the seventh.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
New Delhi is also keen on gaining access to some of Myanmar's extensive rare earths deposits-though China, which controls much of the rare earths supply chain in the area, is unlikely to agree.—
Michael Sullivan,
NPR,
30 May 2026
-
The operations were launched in response to community concerns about minors gaining access to restricted products.—
Bay City News Service,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Some of those bets took time to show returns — six years, in the case of his $1 billion investment in Cisco’s Silicon One architecture — but Robbins is now reaping the rewards.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
-
The combine/reaping machine cutting mechanism (1833) American inventor Obed Hussey patented one of the earliest practical mechanical reapers in 1833.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
But the process of obtaining records through the city’s official public records system can be cumbersome and lengthy.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
-
However, if your benefits are deposited into a bank account, the bank can freeze or levy that account after obtaining a court judgment, which can create access problems even if the funds themselves are technically protected under federal law.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
When pressed as to why Pratt is garnering more industry supporters, Rinna was blunt.—
Marc Malkin,
Variety,
26 May 2026
-
That said, the thesis has held up in NCAA men’s ice hockey, another sport that is expanding its footprint (see Arizona State) and garnering the attention of big college programs (see Penn State), all while the talent level increases dramatically.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
That being said, Breslow confirmed that the Red Sox have explored making external additions to help the team.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
That has marquee potential with Coloradan star Sophia Wilson making her first club appearance in Denver.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attaining. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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