Obtain Meaning
/əbˈteɪn/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way.
verbTo secure (that) a specific objective or state of affairs be reached.
Sentence Examples
How did you obtain these old postage stamps?
We should try to obtain peace.
You must obtain written permission before entering the room.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After searching for months, he was finally able to ____ the rare first edition book.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You will need to ____ a special permit from the city council before you can start the building work.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English obteinen, from Anglo-Norman obtenir, optiner et al., and Middle French obtenir, from Latin obtinēre (“to gain, achieve, succeed, possess”), from ob- + tenēre (“to hold”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And a certayne ruler axed him: sayinge: Goode Master: what ought I to do, to obtaine eternall lyfe?"
— 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Luke:
"[…] Julia was quite as eager for novelty and pleasure as Maria, though she might not have struggled through so much to obtain them, and could better bear a subordinate situation."
— 1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter III, in Mansfield Park: […], volume II, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 64:
"But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention. Partly, this is a result of how online advertising has traditionally worked: advertisers pay for clicks, and a click is a click, however it's obtained."
— 2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 48:
"he was condemned to die for the felony, and being so well known for an old offender, had certainly died, but the merchant, upon his earnest application, had obtained that he should be transported, on condition that he restored all the rest of his bills, which he had done accordingly."
— 1722, Daniel Defoe, Colonel Jack:
"“O daughter deare!” (said she) “despeire no whit; / For never sore but might a salve obtain [...].”"
— 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After searching for months, he was finally able to ____ the rare first edition book.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You will need to ____ a special permit from the city council before you can start the building work.