Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

obtain

/əbˈteɪn/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.40 in modern English

Syllables
ob-tain
IPA
/əbˈteɪn/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

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

Transitive verb

verb

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

Intransitive verb; Obsolete

verb

To prevail, be victorious; to succeed.

Intransitive verb; Obsolete

verb

To hold; to keep, possess or occupy.

Obsolete; Transitive verb

verb

To exist or be the case; to hold true, be in force.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

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”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *ten-, obteinen, obtenir, obtinēre

Usage

Inflected Forms

obtains (present, singular) obtaining (participle, present) obtained (participle, past) obtained (past) no-table-tags (table tags) glossary (inflection template) obtained (first person, past) obtainest (archaic, present) obtained (past, second person) obtainedst (archaic, past) obtaineth (archaic, present) obtained (past, singular)

Derived Forms

obtainability obtainable obtainance obtainer obtainment preobtain reobtain unobtainability unobtained

Synonyms

get gain acquire attain procure exact receive find incur

Homonyms

abthane

Rhymes With

main pain campaign train brain explain remain gain plane rain chain maintain

Questions

How do you pronounce obtain?
The recorded pronunciation is /əbˈteɪn/.
What does obtain mean?
To get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way.
Where does obtain come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce obtain

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “obtain”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/əbˈteɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “obtain”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “obtain” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.