Obtain
What it means
To gain something through effort, request, or an established process.
Reach for it when talking about successfully securing a resource, result, or permission
The clinic helped every household obtain a reliable water filter.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional |
|
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
get
Fits when the broad natural verb is sufficient
Careful Get is vague about effort, permission, or process.
-
warm
earn
Fits when effort or merit justifies the result
Careful Earn is wrong when the resource is a right.
-
professional
acquire
Fits when possession develops through purchase or learning
Careful Acquire sounds transactional when receiving help.
-
formal
procure
Fits when someone arranges a needed item
Careful Procure is overly official for ordinary getting.
-
formal
Fits when effort succeeds despite difficulty
Careful Secure implies uncertainty that may not exist.
-
literary
Fits when a level or goal is reached
Careful Attain fits achievements better than physical objects.
Opposites 3
- lose
- forfeit
- surrender
Common phrases 3
-
obtain permission
The crew must obtain permission before entering the cave.
-
obtain a copy
Residents can obtain a copy of the survey at the library.
-
obtain funding
The cooperative hopes to obtain funding for a second cold store.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated