obtain

[ uhb-teyn ]

verb (used with object)

1. to come into possession of; get, acquire, or procure, as through an effort or by a request:

   to obtain permission;

   to obtain a better income.

   Synonyms: attain, win, earn, achieve, gain

   Antonyms: forgo, lose

2. Obsolete. to attain or reach.

verb (used without object)

1. to be prevalent, customary, or in vogue; prevail:

   the morals that obtained in Rome.

2. Archaic. to succeed.

obtain

/ əbˈteɪn /

verb

1. tr to gain possession of; acquire; get
2. intr to be customary, valid, or accepted

   a new law obtains in this case

3. archaic.
   tr to arrive at
4. archaic.
   intr to win a victory; succeed

Derived Forms

• obˈtainment, noun
• obˌtainaˈbility, noun
• obˈtainable, adjective
• obˈtainer, noun

Other Words From

• ob·taina·ble adjective
• ob·taina·bili·ty noun
• ob·tainer noun
• ob·tainment noun
• preob·tain verb (used with object)
• preob·taina·ble adjective
• reob·tain verb (used with object)
• reob·taina·ble adjective
• unob·taina·ble adjective
• unob·tained adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of obtain¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English obteinen, from Middle French obtenir, from Latin obtinēre “to take hold of,” equivalent to ob- ob- ( def ) + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre “to hold”

Word History and Origins

Origin of obtain¹

C15: via Old French from Latin obtinēre to take hold of, from ob- (intensive) + tenēre to hold

Synonym Study

See get.

Example Sentences

Information on cardiovascular medicines was obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register.

From Science Daily

In this way, they obtained spatially and temporally finely resolved locations where vultures fed.

From Science Daily

The research team also obtained sound recordings of original Aztec death whistles as well as from handmade replicas.

From Science Daily

Smith-Griffin used some of the fraudulently obtained funds to put a down payment on a house in North Carolina and pay for her wedding, prosecutors said.

From Los Angeles Times

The team also hopes to automate the process of assessing nutritional content based on food photos, and is developing large language models capable of automatically asking follow-up questions to obtain more accurate information.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• access
• achieve
• attain
• collect
• earn
• gain
• gather
• glean
• have
• pick up
• procure
• purchase
• reach
• realize
• reap
• receive
• recover
• retrieve
• secure
• seize