Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb attain

4 senses of attain

Sense 1
achieve, accomplish, attain, reach -- (to gain with effort; "she achieved her goal despite setbacks")
       => succeed, win, come through, bring home the bacon, deliver the goods -- (attain success or reach a desired goal; "The enterprise succeeded"; "We succeeded in getting tickets to the show"; "she struggled to overcome her handicap and won")

Sense 2
reach, hit, attain -- (reach a point in time, or a certain state or level; "The thermometer hit 100 degrees"; "This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour")
       => arrive, get, come -- (reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress; "She arrived home at 7 o'clock"; "She didn't get to Chicago until after midnight")

Sense 3
fall upon, strike, come upon, light upon, chance upon, come across, chance on, happen upon, attain, discover -- (find unexpectedly; "the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb"; "she struck a goldmine"; "The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake")
       => find, regain -- (come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost; "Did you find your glasses?"; "I cannot find my gloves!")

Sense 4
reach, make, attain, hit, arrive at, gain -- (reach a destination, either real or abstract; "We hit Detroit by noon"; "The water reached the doorstep"; "We barely made it to the finish line"; "I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts")