- (transitive) to achieve or accomplish (a task, goal, aim, etc)
- (transitive) to reach or arrive at in space or time
- (intransitive) often followed by to: to arrive (at) with effort or exertion
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
at•tain /əˈteɪn/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object]
at•tain•a•ble, adj.
at•tain•er, n. [countable]See -tain-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to come to or arrive at; gain;
achieve:to attain one's goals.
at•tain•a•ble, adj.
at•tain•er, n. [countable]See -tain-.
at•tain
(ə tān′),USA pronunciation v.t.
v.i.
at•tain′er, n.
- to reach, achieve, or accomplish;
gain;
obtain:to attain one's goals. - to come to or arrive at, esp. after some labor or tedium;
reach:to attain the age of 96; to attain the mountain peak.
v.i.
- to arrive at or succeed in reaching or obtaining something (usually fol. by to or unto):to attain to knowledge.
- to reach in the course of development or growth:These trees attain to remarkable height.
- Vulgar Latin *attangere (for Latin attingere), equivalent. to Latin at- at- + tangere to touch
- Anglo-French, Old French ateign- (stem of ateindre)
- Middle English atei(g)nen 1300–50
- 1. secure. See gain 1.
- 1. 2. miss.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
attain /əˈteɪn/ vb
'attain' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
accede
- achieve
- adept
- ahead
- arrive
- attainder
- attaint
- bid
- break even
- Buddhism
- compass
- conductive education
- corner
- drive
- endeavour
- fail
- ideal
- matriculate
- miss
- parvenu
- perfectionism
- pursue
- right
- rise
- taint
- terminal velocity
- touch
- vault
- acquire
- ambitious
- asceticism
- attainable
- attainment
- beautiful
- bill of attainder
- Bodhisattva
- bowl
- come
- Community Services Administration
- contact
- corridor
- cunning
- deceit
- derive
- diplomatic
- distribute
- entropy
- estate
- far
- fast