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
Nearing the end of his career, White is considered the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) among quarterbacks, having attained eight championship rings, a number that is purposefully one more than the consensus real-life GOAT, Tom Brady.
—
Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
As evidenced by the years of work and billions spent just to attain drug approval, pharmaceutical companies go to enormous lengths to get their innovations into the marketplace.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Archivists at Brown-Forman don’t know how Brown attained one of the coveted medicinal permits, Morris said.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Sep. 2025
The current injury will, at the very least, delay McCarthy from attaining anything resembling an offensive rhythm.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attain
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Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
As evidenced by the years of work and billions spent just to attain drug approval, pharmaceutical companies go to enormous lengths to get their innovations into the marketplace.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Archivists at Brown-Forman don’t know how Brown attained one of the coveted medicinal permits, Morris said.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Sep. 2025
The current injury will, at the very least, delay McCarthy from attaining anything resembling an offensive rhythm.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 15 Sep. 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 23 Sep. 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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