Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [uh b-teyn]
- /əbˈteɪn/
- /əbˈteɪn/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [uh b-teyn]
- /əbˈteɪn/
Definitions of obtain word
- verb with object obtain 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. 1
- verb with object obtain Obsolete. to attain or reach. 1
- verb without object obtain to be prevalent, customary, or in vogue; prevail: the morals that obtained in Rome. 1
- verb without object obtain Archaic. to succeed. 1
- noun obtain Get, acquire, or secure (something). 1
- transitive verb obtain get, acquire 1
Information block about the term
Origin of obtain
First appearance:
before 1375 One of the 22% oldest English words
1375-1425; late Middle English obteinen < Middle French obtenir < Latin obtinēre to take hold of, equivalent to ob- ob- + -tinēre (combining form of tenēre to hold)
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Obtain
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
obtain popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 93% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
obtain usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for obtain
verb obtain
- get hold of — to have or keep in the hand; keep fast; grasp: She held the purse in her right hand. He held the child's hand in his.
- find — to come upon by chance; meet with: He found a nickel in the street.
- gain — to make a gain or gains in.
- attain — If you attain something, you gain it or achieve it, often after a lot of effort.
- acquire — If you acquire something, you buy or obtain it for yourself, or someone gives it to you.
Antonyms for obtain
verb obtain
- lose — to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery: I'm sure I've merely misplaced my hat, not lost it.
- disperse — to drive or send off in various directions; scatter: to disperse a crowd.
- distribute — to divide and give out in shares; deal out; allot.
- divide — to separate into parts, groups, sections, etc.
- fail — to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved: The experiment failed because of poor planning.
Top questions with obtain
- how to obtain a passport?
- how to obtain a birth certificate?
- what does obtain mean?
- how to obtain birth certificate?
- how to obtain a police report?
- how to obtain birth certificates?
- how to obtain a death certificate?
- how to obtain a social security card?
- how do fungi obtain energy?
- how to obtain a contractor's license?
- how to obtain a business license?
- how do protists obtain energy?
- how to obtain a discovery packet?
- how do plants and animals obtain energy?
- where do animals obtain carbon?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with o
- Words starting with ob
- Words starting with obt
- Words starting with obta
- Words starting with obtai
- Words starting with obtain