obtain

Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

ob·tain

(əb-tān′, ŏb-)

v. ob·tained, ob·tain·ing, ob·tains

v.tr.

To succeed in gaining possession of as the result of planning or endeavor; acquire.

v.intr.

1. To be in existence, in effect, or customary: "standards, proprieties that no longer obtain" (Meg Greenfield).

2. Archaic To succeed.

[Middle English obteinen, from Old French obtenir, from Latin obtinēre : ob-, intensive pref.; see ob- + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]

ob·tain′a·ble adj.

ob·tain′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

obtain

(əbˈteɪn)

1. (tr) to gain possession of; acquire; get

2. (intr) to be customary, valid, or accepted: a new law obtains in this case.

3. (tr) archaic to arrive at

4. (intr) archaic to win a victory; succeed

[C15: via Old French from Latin obtinēre to take hold of, from ob- (intensive) + tenēre to hold]

obˈtainable adj

obˌtainaˈbility n

obˈtainer n

obˈtainment n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ob•tain

(əbˈteɪn)
v.t.

1. to come into possession of; get, acquire, or procure, as through effort or request.

2. Obs. to attain or reach.

v.i.

3. to be prevalent, customary, or in vogue: the morals that obtained in Rome.

4. Archaic. to succeed.

[1375–1425; < Middle French obtenir « Latin obtinēre to take hold of =ob- ob- + -tinēre, comb. form of tenere to hold]

ob•tain′a•ble, adj.

ob•tain`a•bil′i•ty, n.

ob•tain′er, n.

ob•tain′ment, n.

obtain

1. 'obtain'

If you obtain something that you want or need, you get it.

I made another attempt to obtain employment.

He had obtained the papers during his visits to Berlin.

2. 'get'

'Obtain' is a formal word. You don't usually use it in conversation. Instead you use get.

I got a job at the factory.

He had been having trouble getting a hotel room.

In writing, obtain is often used in the passive.

All the above items can be obtained from most supermarkets.

You need to know where this kind of information can be obtained.

Be Careful!
You don't usually use 'get' in the passive. Don't say, for example, 'Maps can be got from the Tourist Office'. Say 'Maps can be obtained from the Tourist Office' or, in conversation, 'You can get maps from the Tourist Office'.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

obtain

Past participle: obtained
Gerund: obtaining

Imperative
obtain
obtain

Present
I obtain
you obtain
he/she/it obtains
we obtain
you obtain
they obtain

Preterite
I obtained
you obtained
he/she/it obtained
we obtained
you obtained
they obtained

Present Continuous
I am obtaining
you are obtaining
he/she/it is obtaining
we are obtaining
you are obtaining
they are obtaining

Present Perfect
I have obtained
you have obtained
he/she/it has obtained
we have obtained
you have obtained
they have obtained

Past Continuous
I was obtaining
you were obtaining
he/she/it was obtaining
we were obtaining
you were obtaining
they were obtaining

Past Perfect
I had obtained
you had obtained
he/she/it had obtained
we had obtained
you had obtained
they had obtained

Future
I will obtain
you will obtain
he/she/it will obtain
we will obtain
you will obtain
they will obtain

Future Perfect
I will have obtained
you will have obtained
he/she/it will have obtained
we will have obtained
you will have obtained
they will have obtained

Future Continuous
I will be obtaining
you will be obtaining
he/she/it will be obtaining
we will be obtaining
you will be obtaining
they will be obtaining

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been obtaining
you have been obtaining
he/she/it has been obtaining
we have been obtaining
you have been obtaining
they have been obtaining

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been obtaining
you will have been obtaining
he/she/it will have been obtaining
we will have been obtaining
you will have been obtaining
they will have been obtaining

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been obtaining
you had been obtaining
he/she/it had been obtaining
we had been obtaining
you had been obtaining
they had been obtaining

Conditional
I would obtain
you would obtain
he/she/it would obtain
we would obtain
you would obtain
they would obtain

Past Conditional
I would have obtained
you would have obtained
he/she/it would have obtained
we would have obtained
you would have obtained
they would have obtained

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	obtain - come into possession of; "How did you obtain the visa?" carry - secure the passage or adoption (of bills and motions); "The motion carried easily" dig up, excavate, turn up - find by digging in the ground; "I dug up an old box in the garden" wring from, extort - get or cause to become in a difficult or laborious manner kite - get credit or money by using a bad check; "The businessman kited millions of dollars" acquire, get - come into the possession of something concrete or abstract; "She got a lot of paintings from her uncle"; "They acquired a new pet"; "Get your results the next day"; "Get permission to take a few days off from work" source - get (a product) from another country or business; "She sourced a supply of carpet"; "They are sourcing from smaller companies" procure, secure - get by special effort; "He procured extra cigarettes even though they were rationed" extract - get despite difficulties or obstacles; "I extracted a promise from the Dean for two new positions" take out - obtain by legal or official process; "take out a license"; "take out a patent" get in, get into - secure a place in a college, university, etc. eke out, squeeze out - obtain with difficulty; "He eked out some information from the archives" bum, cadge, grub, mooch, sponge - ask for and get free; be a parasite gain, derive - obtain; "derive pleasure from one's garden" shop - do one's shopping; "She goes shopping every Friday" snag - get by acting quickly and smartly; "snag a bargain" grab - obtain illegally or unscrupulously; "Grab power"
	2.	obtain - receive a specified treatment (abstract); "These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation"; "His movie received a good review"; "I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions" incur, receive, get, find change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" take - ascertain or determine by measuring, computing or take a reading from a dial; "take a pulse"; "A reading was taken of the earth's tremors" acquire, get - come into the possession of something concrete or abstract; "She got a lot of paintings from her uncle"; "They acquired a new pet"; "Get your results the next day"; "Get permission to take a few days off from work"
	3.	obtain - be valid, applicable, or true; "This theory still holds" prevail, hold exist, be - have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?"

obtain

verb

1. get, gain, acquire, land, net, pick up, bag, secure, get hold of, come by, procure, get your hands on, score (slang), come into possession of Evans was trying to obtain a false passport.
get lose, give up, hand over, surrender, relinquish, renounce, forfeit, forgo

2. achieve, get, gain, realize, accomplish, attain The perfect body has always been difficult to obtain.

3. (Formal) prevail, hold, stand, exist, be the case, abound, predominate, be in force, be current, be prevalent The longer this situation obtains, the bigger the problems will be.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

obtain

verb

To come into possession of:

acquire, come by, gain, get, procure, secure, win.

Informal: land, pick up.

Translations

يَحْصُلُ عَلَىيَنال، يَحْصَل عَلى

obdržetzískat

opnå

erhalten erlangen erschleichen erzielen

προμηθεύομαι

obtener sacar adquirir conseguir

hankkiapitää hallussaan

obtenir s'établir acquérir avoir gagner

nabaviti

kapmegkap

afla

ottenere prevalere riuscire stabilirsi avere

手に入れる持つ持っている取得する

획득하다

gaunamasįsigyjamas

iegūt, dabūt

avea

приобрести приобретать добывать получать

dobiti

erhållaskaffa

ได้รับ

elde etmek

giành được

获得

obtain

[əbˈteɪn]

A. VT → obtener, conseguir; (= acquire) → adquirir
his uncle obtained the job for him → su tío le consiguió el puesto
oil can be obtained from coal → se puede extraer aceite del carbón

B. VI (frm) [price, law] → regir; [theory] → prevalecer, predominar
the price which obtains now → el precio que rige ahora
in the conditions then obtaining → en las condiciones que imperaban entonces
that did not obtain in my day → en mis tiempos eso no era así

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

obtain

[əbˈteɪn]

vt → obtenir

vi [situation] → avoir cours

obtain

vt → erhalten, bekommen; result, votes also → erzielen; knowledge → erwerben; to obtain something through hard work → etw durch harte Arbeit erreichen; possession → sich (dat) → etw mühsam erarbeiten; to obtain a divorce → die Scheidung ausgesprochen bekommen; to obtain an injunction → eine einstweilige Verfügung erteilt bekommen; to obtain something for somebody → jdm etw beschaffen or verschaffen; they obtained the release of the hostages → sie erreichten die Freilassung der Geiseln

vi (form) → gelten; (rules also) → in Kraft sein; (customs) → bestehen, herrschen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

obtain

[əbˈteɪn]

1. vt (gen) → ottenere
to obtain sth (for o.s.) (goods) → procurarsi qc
to obtain sth for sb → procurare qc a qn

2. vi (frm) (circumstances, custom) → esistere

obtain

(əbˈtein) verb

to get; to become the possessor of. He obtained a large sum of money by buying and selling houses.

obˈtainable adjective

(negative unobtainable).

obtain

→ يَحْصُلُ عَلَى obdržet opnå erhalten προμηθεύομαι obtener hankkia obtenir nabaviti ottenere 手に入れる 획득하다 verkrijgen oppnå uzyskać obter получать skaffa ได้รับ elde etmek giành được 获得

obtain

v. obtener, adquirir, conseguir.

References in classic literature ?

Failing to obtain food among the Doves, he returned to the Jackdaws.

View in context

It appears to be established, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he was killed (while he was asleep, or immediately on his waking) by being smothered with a pillow from his bed-- that the persons guilty of murdering him are the three Indians-- and that the object contemplated (and achieved) by the crime, was to obtain possession of the diamond, called the Moonstone.

View in context

As the travellers were now in a country abounding with buffalo, they remained for several days encamped upon the banks of Big River, to obtain a supply of provisions, and to give the invalids time to recruit.

View in context

In a word, that accumulated knowledge which man inherits by means of books, imparted and transmitted information, schools, colleges, and universities, we obtain through more subtle agencies that are incorporated with our organic construction, and which form a species of hereditary mesmerism; a vegetable clairvoyance that enables us to see with the eyes, hear with the ears, and digest with the understandings of our predecessors.

View in context

The worst that a prince may expect from a hostile people is to be abandoned by them; but from hostile nobles he has not only to fear abandonment, but also that they will rise against him; for they, being in these affairs more far- seeing and astute, always come forward in time to save themselves, and to obtain favours from him whom they expect to prevail.

View in context

I use all the hyperbole of metaphor, and tell what centuries of time and profounds of unthinkable agony and horror can obtain in each interval of all the intervals between the notes of a quick jig played quickly on the piano.

View in context

And what enlargement do you expect to obtain in this way?"

View in context

As there are two particulars on which the excellence and perfection of everything depend, one of these is, that the object and end proposed should be proper; the other, that the means to accomplish it should be adapted to that purpose; for it may happen that these may either agree or disagree with each other; for the end we propose may be good, but in taking the means to obtain it we may err; at other times we may have the right and proper means in our power, but the end may be bad, and sometimes we may mistake in both; as in the art of medicine the physician does not sometimes know in what situation the body ought to be, to be healthy; nor what to do to procure the end he aims at.

View in context

The young adjutant, an acquaintance of Vronsky, through whom she obtained her information, and who hoped through Countess Lidia Ivanovna to obtain a concession, told her that they had finished their business and were going away next day.

View in context

Aramis therefore had written immediately to Marie Michon, the seamstress at Tours who had such fine acquaintances, to obtain from the queen authority for Mme.

View in context

AN eminent Justice of the Supreme Court of Patagascar was accused of having obtained his appointment by fraud.

View in context

``Master Allan Stewart, friend to Captain James Stewart of Cardonall, by means of the Queen's corrupted court, obtained the Abbey of Crossraguel.