Library / English Dictionary

ATTAIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Reach a point in time, or a certain state or level

Example:

This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour

Synonyms:

attain; hit; reach

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "attain" is one way to...):

arrive; come; get (reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "attain"):

max out (reach a maximum)

break even (attain a level at which there is neither gain nor loss, as in business, gambling, or a competitive sport)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

attainment (arrival at a new stage)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Reach a destination, either real or abstract

Example:

I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts

Synonyms:

arrive at; attain; gain; hit; make; reach

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

"Attain" entails doing...:

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Verb group:

make (reach in time)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "attain"):

ground; run aground (hit or reach the ground)

come through; get through (succeed in reaching a real or abstract destination after overcoming problems)

culminate (reach the highest altitude or the meridian, of a celestial body)

find (succeed in reaching; arrive at)

make (reach in time)

top (reach or ascend the top of)

breast; summit (reach the summit (of a mountain))

peak; top out (to reach the highest point; attain maximum intensity, activity)

bottom out (reach the low point)

access; get at (reach or gain access to)

scale; surmount (reach the highest point of)

catch up (reach the point where one should be after a delay)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They attain the water

Derivation:

attainment (arrival at a new stage)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Find unexpectedly

Example:

The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake

Synonyms:

attain; chance on; chance upon; come across; come upon; discover; fall upon; happen upon; light upon; strike

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "attain" is one way to...):

find; regain (come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

To gain with effort

Example:

she achieved her goal despite setbacks

Synonyms:

accomplish; achieve; attain; reach

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "attain" is one way to...):

bring home the bacon; come through; deliver the goods; succeed; win (attain success or reach a desired goal)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "attain"):

score (get a certain number or letter indicating quality or performance)

get to; make; progress to; reach (reach a goal)

begin (achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative)

come to; strike (attain)

culminate (reach the highest or most decisive point)

compass (bring about; accomplish)

average (achieve or reach on average)

finagle; manage; wangle (achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

attainable (capable of being attained or accomplished)

attainment (the act of achieving an aim)

Credits

 Context examples: 

When I had attained the age of seventeen my parents resolved that I should become a student at the university of Ingolstadt.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

There was a captain in the Guards who attained considerable social success by doing it for a small wager.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The proposed pathway may involve additional signaling components to attain PLC stimulation.

(Phospholipase C-Epsilon Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

A goal or aim to be accomplished or attained.

(Objective, NCI Thesaurus)

A feeling of optimism that one will attain a desired outcome.

(Hope, NCI Thesaurus)

DNA Topology Regulation involves DNA topoisomerases that catalyze essential DNA transaction processes, including DNA strand scission, manipulation, and rejoining, in order to attain a balanced topology of the genome.

(DNA Topology Regulation, NCI Thesaurus)

Additional diversity is attained by junctional diversity, resulting from the random additional of nucleotides by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase, and by somatic hypermutation, which occurs during B cell maturation in the spleen and lymph nodes.

(Immunoglobulin Heavy Locus, NCI Thesaurus/LocusLink)

This leads to an activation of natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes and to interferon gamma (INF-g) synthesis, thereby attaining an anti-angiogenic effect.

(Mycobacterial Cell Wall-DNA Complex, NCI Thesaurus)

Following ocular application, natamycin is retained in the conjunctival fornices and attains effective concentrations within the corneal stroma where it exerts its effect.

(Natamycin, NCI Thesaurus)

If ever Wolf Larsen attained the summit of living, he attained it then.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)