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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 obtains That can create a period of silence while the debt collector obtains and sends the required information. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 11 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 city will collect 5% annual interest on OAC’s future payments, the first of which would be expected five years after closing or when the group obtains formal city approval for its redevelopment plans, whichever comes earlier. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 13 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 Instead of cumbersome stakes and poles, the tent obtains its shape with just air. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2026 These agreements can ensure that the host community obtains certain specified benefits, such as local workforce guarantees or infrastructure development, as a result of the data center project. — Michael Helbing, The Conversation, 11 June 2026 Charges can elevate to a first-degree felony if parents don’t safely secure firearms, which the minor then obtains and uses to cause death or great bodily injury, which is punishable by up to three years, Bala said. — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obtains
  1. earns
  2. reaps
  3. wins
  4. garners
  5. gains
  6. gets
  7. makes
  8. acquires
Verb
  • Backstage, Tommaso Ciampa says this year’s Casino Gauntlet has the biggest stakes since the winner earns a chance at the AEW World Championship.
    — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • That is the precise point at which quantum earns its place – not as a wholesale replacement, but as the capability that allows another valuable dimension to be included rather than left out.
    — Carsten Polenz, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of earns
Verb
  • Research and development accounts for an average of just 4% of European countries’ defense budgets, compared to 10% for the United States – which reaps significant economic multiplier effects from that military spending.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
  • With these words, Nellie sews a field's worth of dramatic tension that the series reaps for seasons to come.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026
Definition of reaps
Verb
  • Ridesharing and hybrid vehicles Driverless Waymo ridesharing wins approval for drastic expansion in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Roger Niello The moderate Sacramento Republican wins a caucus vote to become State Senate minority leader.
    — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of wins
Verb
  • As investors adjust their positions and trade through newly available supply, Goldman garners revenue through bid-ask spreads and execution commissions.
    — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Los Angeles diner Max and Helen’s reportedly garners an 8-hour line, and Reddit threads are dedicated to lining up at Austin’s legendary Franklin Barbecue.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of garners
Verb
  • Brooks emphasizes that while Black art gains market attention, ownership among Black Americans remains limited due to a lack of knowledge.
    — Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Turkey, already a NATO member, gains a larger market for its growing defense industry and additional strategic weight as tensions with Israel rise.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of gains
Verb
  • Bernard gets more of the attention; Weru, a native of Kenya, was an international rugby player who is now learning football.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said keeping gas prices low and ensuring Iran never gets a hold of a nuclear weapon are of equal importance to the president.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of gets
Verb
  • That makes the world a more dangerous place, where a mistake by just one actor could ignite a regional firestorm, with a US military weakened by Iran unable to ensure American security.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • His last win came against Sodiq Yusuff in October 2023, and this loss makes four in a row.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of makes
Verb
  • The film’s critique of the commercial image also acquires a distinctly contemporary resonance.
    — Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers have spent a decade imagining an AI that acquires purposes of its own, stays switched on, gathers power, and eventually displaces us.
    — Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of acquires

Browse Nearby Words

obtainments
obtains
obtrude
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Cite this Entry

“Obtains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obtains. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of obtains for Spanish Speakers

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