obtain

verbcommon in dialogue

//əbˈteɪn//

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

verb

1
To get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way.
obtain permission
obtain information
difficult to obtain
Applicants must obtain a permit before construction.
2
obsoleteTo secure (that) a specific objective or state of affairs be reached.
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.
3
obsoleteTo prevail, be victorious; to succeed.
“O daughter deare!” (said she) “despeire no whit; / For never sore but might a salve obtain [...].”
This, though it failed at present, yet afterward obtained, and was a mighty step to the ruin of the commonwealth.
4
obsoleteTo hold; to keep, possess or occupy.
His mother then is mortal, but his Sire / He who obtains the monarchy of Heav'n, / And what will he not do to advance his Son?
5
To exist or be the case; to hold true, be in force.
Even though the Pervaise confession had never come to light, no reasonable doubt could obtain; for the act in question […] was on a par with countless other acts committed by the oligarchs, and, before them, by the capitalists.
In connection with the various courses of practical instruction, the companies maintain signalling schools fitted with standard railway equipment in which the staff can be given instructions under conditions exactly similar to those which obtain in signal boxes.
But the hostage situation no longer obtains, and so Uncle Enzo feels it important to stop Rife now, […]

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”).

Forms

past tense: obtained
past participle: obtained
present participle: obtaining
third person singular: obtains

obstacle · Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up…obstinate · Stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course,…obstruction · The act of obstructing, or state of being obstructed.

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

obvious · Easily discovered, seen, or understood; self-explanatory.obviously · In an obvious or clearly apparent manner.occasion · A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.