Roger Manvell
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If you have difficulty choosing whether to use obtain or attain in a sentence, don’t worry, we get it. Both can mean “to get” or “to acquire,” and in some situations can be used synonymously, but one or the other might be more appropriate depending on what is being acquired and how. One clue is their respective etymologies: obtain comes to us via Anglo-French from the Latin verb obtinēre, meaning “to hold on to, possess,” while attain’s Anglo-French ancestor is ateindre, meaning “to reach” or “to accomplish.” Accordingly, obtain is usually the word used when you are acquiring, by planned effort, a tangible object—something you can hold. “We are having trouble obtaining the supplies we need” sounds natural, for example, while “Have you attained the sugar and flour I asked for?” does not. Reflecting its roots (and also implying effort), attain is often used in the same way as achieve, as in “After decades of hard work she attained her goal of earning a PhD.” Of course, one can also obtain intangible things, such as power or information, so consider this advice something to hold onto and consider when the moment arises—you needn’t cling to it.
Examples of obtain in a Sentence
Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 29 Mar. 2025
The Department of Education (ED) has announced plans to lay off more than 1,300 employees, while the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is planning a reorganization that includes cutting 80,000 jobs, according to an internal memo obtained by the AP this month.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
In a memo obtained by The Athletic, the committee is not completely closing the door on future scrimmages as plans are in place to address the topic in the future.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2025
During her visit, the woman attempted to exit through a revolving door at the hotel's front entrance, the complaint obtained by USA TODAY reads.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obtain
Cite this Entry
“Obtain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obtain. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
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obtain
verb
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