attain

verb

at·​tain ə-ˈtān 

attained; attaining; attains

transitive verb

1

: to reach as an end : gain, achieve

attain a goal

2

: to come into possession of : obtain

he attained preferment over his fellows

3

: to come to as the end of a progression or course of movement

They attained the top of the hill.

attain a ripe old age

intransitive verb

: to come or arrive by motion, growth, or effort

—usually used with to

will probably attain to a height of six feet

attainability

ə-ˌtā-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

attainable

ə-ˈtā-nə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• achieve
• bag
• chalk up
• clock (up) [chiefly British]
• gain
• hit
• log
• make
• notch (up)
• rack up
• ring up
• score
• win

Examples of attain in a Sentence

a quest to attain enlightenment

She refused to let the injury keep her from attaining her goal of being in the Olympics.

This kind of tree can attain a height of 20 feet within just a few years.

The car can attain a top speed of 200 mph.

Recent Examples on the Web

Seurat argued that the group, despite its battered state, may opt to pursue further military pressure to attain its goals. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025

Displaying remarkable consistency in a spotlight event, McClung is one of 28 dunkers in event history to attain a perfect score of 50. —Scott Phillips, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025

Ligety defeats Austrian rival Marcel Hirscher by 0.45 seconds, to attain his third straight world giant slalom title. 2018 — Chloe Kim saves the best for last in winning women’s halfpipe snowboarding event at the Pyeongchang Games. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025

With modern technology and instrumentation, Byrne said, a lander could last eight hours or more, compared with the roughly one-hour-long mission durations attained decades ago by the former Soviet Union's Venera landers, with one enduring about two hours. —Leonard David, Space.com, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English atteynen, from Anglo-French ateign-, stem of ateindre to reach, accomplish, convict, from Vulgar Latin *attangere, alteration of Latin attingere, from ad- + tangere to touch — more at tangent entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

attain

verb

at·​tain ə-ˈtān 

1

: to reach as a goal : accomplish, achieve

2

: to come to possess : obtain

3

: to arrive at : reach

attain the top of the mountain

—often used with to

attainability

ə-ˌtā-nə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

attainable

-ˈtā-nə-bəl 

adjective