1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

obtaining

verb

present participle of obtain
as in earning
to receive as return for effort after years of proving herself, she obtained recognition as a serious journalist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 obtaining This is a nonfiction book, a collection of tips about obtaining and exercising power drawn from the counsel of Machiavelli, The Art of War, etc. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 22 Sep. 2026 The developer has already completed several steps needed before construction can begin, including submitting improvement plans, obtaining state and federal permits and receiving approval for grading work. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026 The files show that the informant continued reporting to his intelligence handler while allegedly failing to disclose the full extent of his own involvement in obtaining ammunition for the group. — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Local independent garden centers are most likely obtaining some of these varieties or can locate them for you. — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026 Back then, the goal was obtaining clean, accurate data out of a single PDF. — Alberto Gimeno, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Patients also carry debt stemming from obtaining routine medical care, such as doctor's office visits or getting lab or diagnostic tests, the study found. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 The court ultimately upheld the search warrant, finding probable cause and concluded that obtaining the data remotely was not an unreasonable search. — Jihun Joun, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026 After obtaining a warrant for Ratliff’s arrest, police executed search warrants for two separate locations to gather evidence in the case Friday. — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtaining
  1. earning
  2. gaining
  3. winning
  4. reaping
  5. making
  6. garnering
  7. getting
  8. attaining
Verb
  • Students kick off the two-year capstone by earning their Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10 card, a basic safety training program that serves as a common prerequisite for unionized construction jobs.
    — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
  • His feature directorial debut unspooled in front of a packed house at the festival, earning a long, jubilant standing ovation.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of earning
Verb
  • After gaining a 23-10 fourth quarter lead, Mizzou held off the Blue Raiders in a 23-19 win.
    — PJ Green September 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Leading up to his fourth pro season, Commesso trained with NHL players such as Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and San Jose Sharks center Will Smith and honed in on his diet, gaining 6 pounds.
    — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of gaining
Verb
  • Sure, the culinary reach of Italian cuisine goes far and wide, from New York pizza slice shops to high-end, award-winning restaurants that specialize in food from all over the country, but there’s nothing like sitting down for a meal in Milan.
    — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2026
  • And Coleman keeps his lineup of award-winning brews fresh with special drops.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of winning
Verb
  • Victim of its own success However, the fact that demand for Novo’s products—and production—abroad is so massive means that its domestic economy isn’t reaping all the benefits.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The tech sector of the S&P 500 has seen its forward price/earnings multiple contract from 29 to 21 in the past year with the market unwilling to extrapolate the profit surge in the absence of a clear path back to reaping oodles of free cash flow.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of reaping
Verb
  • Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand and the two countries can contribute to each other's success, thereby benefiting the wider world.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • But his collaborators helped turn Beck into a cultural product, making videos, shooting photos, providing musical inspiration for samples.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of making
Verb
  • The article went viral, garnering pushback from the LGBT community over how it was covered and more attention to the LGBT bar itself from conservative pundits, who questioned why the bar still had a mask mandate.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The fundraiser currently has 498 donations, garnering over $22,000 in just two weeks.
    — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of garnering
Verb
  • Storytelling in the modern world is now often about getting the most clicks and attention.
    — Hannah Little, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The lack of a real-time conversation means many patients aren’t getting the type of care recommended by medical societies that prescribe GLP-1s, including discussions about weight-loss goals, past efforts and eating disorders.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of getting
Verb
  • This older world is often focused on common American ideals of individualism and grit as the primary tools for attaining personal success.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In other words, what happens when their agreeable or polite approach to attaining something doesn’t work?
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of attaining

Browse Nearby Words

obtained
obtaining
obtainment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Obtaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtaining. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All