attained; attaining; attains
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
: to come or arrive by motion, growth, or effort
—usually used with to
will probably attain to a height of six feet
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
The United States and nations worldwide can pass laws all day long that set goals and timetables to attain net carbon-free generation of electricity.
—
Peter Murphy, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2025
Could the desire to attain a unified model of cognition be the kick in the pants to the AI field to look beyond the groupthink of today’s AI and LLMs?
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Expect to attain power and leadership along with promotions, kudos and awards.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2025
Get inspired by a small group of industrious, tenacious, and daring men and women who were born into slavery and broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.
—Essence, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attain
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Peter Murphy, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2025
Could the desire to attain a unified model of cognition be the kick in the pants to the AI field to look beyond the groupthink of today’s AI and LLMs?
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Expect to attain power and leadership along with promotions, kudos and awards.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2025
Get inspired by a small group of industrious, tenacious, and daring men and women who were born into slavery and broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.
—Essence, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attain
Cite this Entry
“Attain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attain. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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