obtain

verb

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

(intransitive, philosophy) To exist or be the case; to hold true, be in force.

(intransitive, obsolete) To prevail, be victorious; to succeed.

(intransitive, obsolete) To secure (that) a specific objective or state of affairs be reached.

(transitive, obsolete) To hold; to keep, possess or occupy.

Roots

teneo-tain · Latin · hold

Synonyms for obtain

getv receivev procurev acquirev earnv gainn retrievev derivev holdv prevailv buyv purchasen wanglen

Synonyms & related words for obtain

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of obtain — including get, receive, procure, acquire, earn, gain. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to obtain

Explore words related to obtain — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include impetrate, find, attain, obtainment, reattain, achieve, obtainable, ungotten. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for obtain

Common synonyms for obtain include get, receive, procure, acquire, earn, gain, retrieve, derive — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does obtain come from?

The word obtain breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root -tain, from Latin teneo (“hold”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.