Meaning & use
obtain
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Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
To get something you need or want, usually by asking, paying or working for it.
Grammar: Takes an object: obtain a permit. It cannot stand alone.
Patterns
- obtain something
- obtain something from someone
- obtain something for someone
You must obtain a permit before building a fence.
She obtained the records from the county office.
The lawyer obtained a copy of the contract for her client.
verbintransitiveformal
To be in force or true at a particular time or in a particular place, as a rule or situation.
Grammar: No object; usually used with rules, conditions or customs: the rule still obtains.
Patterns
- something obtains
The same conditions obtain in every part of the country.
The old rule no longer obtains in most schools.
Different customs obtain in the north.
Word forms
| third person singular | obtains |
|---|---|
| past tense | obtained |
| past participle | obtained |
| -ing form | obtaining |
Common combinations
- obtain permission
- Visitors must obtain permission before taking photographs.
- obtain information
- We obtained the information from public records.
- obtain a visa
- She obtained a visa within two weeks.
- obtain results
- The team obtained better results with the new method.
- obtain evidence
- Police obtained evidence from the security cameras.
- difficult to obtain
- Some medicines are difficult to obtain in rural areas.
Synonyms and how they differ
- get
- Get is the everyday word and works in nearly any situation, while obtain sounds more formal and suggests some effort.
- acquire
- Acquire often implies gaining something gradually or building up a possession or skill, not just getting it once.
- secure
- Secure suggests getting something that was uncertain or hard to win, such as a loan or a contract.
- procure
- Procure is more formal still and often means getting supplies or goods on behalf of an organization.
Opposites
Word family
- obtainable adjective
- possible to get
- obtainment noun
- the act of getting something (rare)
- unobtainable adjective
- impossible to get
Commonly confused: obtain or attain? obtain or contain?
obtain vs attain
Attain means to reach a goal or level through effort, such as attaining fame, while obtain means to get a thing.
obtain vs contain
Contain means to hold inside, and it is unrelated in meaning even though it sounds similar.
Practice
Which verb fits best in formal writing? Applicants must ___ a signed form from their employer.
Choose one answer.
Obtain means get. Maintain means keep, contain means hold within, and detain means hold someone back, so none of them fits.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “obtain”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.