OBTAINS Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

obtains

verb

present tense third-person singular of obtain

as in earns

to receive as return for effort after years of proving herself, she obtained recognition as a serious journalist

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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 obtains Redbord said law enforcement typically obtains a court order or seizure warrant before working with stablecoin issuers to release or reissue assets and return them to their rightful owners. — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026 Caltrans spokesperson Eric Menjivar said in an email Tuesday that at least some of the repairs are on hold as the agency obtains supplemental funding through an internal review process to finish the repairs. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Pacioni said the warrant was of a type — a Ramey warrant — that a law enforcement agency obtains through a court without review or approval by the district attorney’s office. — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026 This adds another barrier if someone obtains your Apple Account password. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 And even if the creditor sues you and obtains a judgment, the federal protections covering the account can create a barrier between that creditor and the retirement funds still held in the plan. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 The three Bucky Dent pools remain closed while the city addresses the violations and obtains the approvals required to reopen. — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026 After three years, AVILOO had created a data collection device and a certificate the user obtains at the end of the process to guarantee the battery state of health. — James Morris, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 The state obtains the money by selling bonds to investors and agrees to repay it, with interest, per a specified schedule. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtains

Verb

When a server in the US earns less than $17 an hour on average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that typically doesn’t give them a lot of savings to pay for unexpected medical bills.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Conceding that earns you the credibility to defend the steps that matter.

— Brian Jenney, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of earns

Verb

When customers can see their own input shaping the brand in real time, the company reaps the benefit.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Opponents also rallied around the fact that Iceland already reaps benefits from being in the EU’s frictionless single market and the Schengen free-travel zone without the sovereignty compromises that come with full membership.

— Kwiyeon Ha, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of reaps

Verb

Defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman’s unit has stepped up when needed, and all while the offense garners most of the headlines.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
All the while, #witchtok garners millions of posts, and there’s no shortage of flash sales for love spells – or curses.

— Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of garners

Verb

As the plasma gets hotter, its nuclei move faster, and a greater proportion of encounters occur at energies favorable for fusion.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
The background street gets wildly warped from distortion, and anything outside of the center suffers some detail loss.

— Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of gets

Verb

Ukraine's General Staff that day said its forces hit an electronics plant in Oryol that makes components for the cruise and ballistic missiles Russia fires at Ukrainian cities.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Pulling on a long rope of influences that begins with the Wilsons and runs through British prog, bedroom pop, and chillwave, Doomed is a serene and satisfying collection which, like its forebears, makes a personal matter of universal consciousness.

— Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of makes

Verb

Easttree, which is backed by funds managed by BlackRock, acquires passive profit participations, in whole or in part, for an upfront payment.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026
Whoever produces and controls frontier models acquires global leverage over innovation, production, science, culture, and, ultimately, advanced thought.

— NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of acquires

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obtainments

obtains

obtrude

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“Obtains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtains. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of obtains

verb

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