Obtain

/əbˈteɪn/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way.
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To secure (that) a specific objective or state of affairs be reached.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To prevail, be victorious; to succeed.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To hold; to keep, possess or occupy.
5. (intransitive, especially philosophy) To exist or be the case; to hold true, be in force.

Example Sentences

obtain permission

obtain information

difficult to obtain

Applicants must obtain a permit before construction.

We obtained accurate data from the survey.

And a certayne ruler axed him: sayinge: Goode Master: what ought I to do, to obtaine eternall lyfe?

[…] Julia was quite as eager for novelty and pleasure as Maria, though she might not have struggled through so much to obtain them, and could better bear a subordinate situation.

But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention. Partly, this is a result of how online advertising has traditionally worked: advertisers pay for clicks, and a click is a click, however it's obtained.

Synonyms for obtain

Antonyms for obtain

Related Words

Word Forms

• obtains
• obtaining
• obtained
• no-table-tags
• glossary
• obtain
• obtainest
• obtainedst
• obtaineth
• -
• obtein
• obteyn

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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