attain
/ə'tein/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To succeed in achieving something after effort: To reach or accomplish a goal, objective, or desired state, often implying a significant or challenging effort.
- To reach or arrive at a particular condition, age, or point: To come to a specific stage, level, or point in time or development.
Examples of Usage
- Verb:
- She worked diligently to attain a high level of fluency in the language.
- After years of research, the scientist attained a breakthrough discovery.
- The company hopes to attain its sales targets by the end of the quarter.
- He finally attained the rank of captain after a decade of service.
Advanced Usage
- "to attain to something": (More formal) To succeed in reaching or achieving a particular high standard, state, or level.
- Few artists ever attain to such mastery of their craft.
- "attained age": (Legal/Formal) The age that has been reached.
- Benefits are payable upon the attained age of 65.
Variants and Related Words
- Attainable (adj): Able to be achieved or accomplished.
- The goal is challenging but attainable.
- Attainment (n): The action or fact of achieving a goal, or a thing achieved.
- Academic attainment is important, but so are life skills.
- Unattainable (adj): Impossible to achieve or reach.
- For many, such wealth seemed an unattainable dream.
Synonyms
- Achieve: To successfully bring about or reach a desired objective.
- Accomplish: To complete or achieve successfully.
- Reach: To arrive at or extend to a point.
- Gain: To obtain or secure something desired.
Antonyms
- Fail: To be unsuccessful in achieving a goal.
- Miss: To fail to hit, reach, or attain.
- Lose: To be deprived of or cease to have.
Related Phrases
- "attain one's ends": To achieve one's goals or purposes.
- He was determined to attain his ends by any means necessary.
- "attain maturity": To reach a state of full development.
- The wine needs several years to attain maturity.
Verb
- reach a destination, either real or abstract
- We hit Detroit by noon
- The water reached the doorstep
- We barely made it to the finish line
- I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts
- find unexpectedly
- the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb
- she struck a goldmine
- The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake
- reach a point in time, or a certain state or level
- The thermometer hit 100 degrees
- This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour
- to gain with effort
- she achieved her goal despite setbacks