Search

to reach, achieve, or accomplish; gain; obtain:
to attain one’s goals.
to come to or arrive at, especially after some labor or tedium; reach:
to attain the age of 96; to attain the mountain peak.
to arrive at or succeed in reaching or obtaining something (usually followed by to or unto):
to attain to knowledge.
to reach in the course of development or growth:
these trees attain to remarkable height.
contemporary examples

they employ every trick to attain real power, though it is not absolute.
purim perils: his view is his own rabbi daniel landes february 17, 2013

only governments that can laugh at themselves will attain lasting stability.
celebrate dictator appreciation month david keyes june 19, 2013

“the u.s. navy will attain ioc [initial operational capability] in 2018 with 3f software,” dellavedova wrote.
pentagon misfires in stealth jet scandal dave majumdar january 7, 2015

in perfect lives, determined and sometimes desperate attempts to attain perfection tend to backfire.
rocking to perfection lizzie crocker april 3, 2011

belgium, meanwhile, was told that taking guantanamo prisoners would be a “low-cost way…to attain prominence in europe.”
the 9 most shocking wikileaks secrets the daily beast november 27, 2010

historical examples

she adores him, but her standard of perfection is so exalted few can attain it.
ernest linwood caroline lee hentz

and to attain it, we must be aware of its full meaning—and ready to pay its full price.
united states presidents’ inaugural speeches various

litaku, kurrichani, and other similar towns are sichuana; the kaffre civilization being said to attain its maximum hereabouts.
the ethnology of the british colonies and dependencies robert gordon latham

every thought was bent to attain the end, no labour was deemed to arduous.
the grand old man richard b. cook

if the theory is true you should move on in order to attain a full development.
the independence day horror at killsbury asenath carver coolidge

verb
(transitive) to achieve or accomplish (a task, goal, aim, etc)
(transitive) to reach or arrive at in sp-ce or time: to attain old age
(intransitive) often foll by to. to arrive (at) with effort or exertion: to attain to glory
v.

c.1300, “to succeed in reaching,” from stem of old french ataindre (11c., modern french atteindre) “to come up to, reach, attain, endeavor, strive,” from vulgar latin -adtangere, from latin attingere “to touch, to arrive at,” from ad- “to” (see ad-) + tangere “to touch” (see tangent). latin attingere had a wide range of meanings, including “to attack, to strike, to appropriate, to manage,” all somehow suggested by the literal sense “to touch.” related: attained; attaining.