Definition of: obtain

(əb·tān′) v.t.
1. To gain possession of, especially by effort; acquire; get.
2. Archaic To arrive at; reach.
—v.i.
3. To be customary or prevalent; hold good: Chivalry obtained until the Renaissance.
4. Archaic To succeed; prevail. [<OF obtenir <L obtinere <ob- against + tenere hold, keep]
—ob·tain′a·ble adjective
—ob·tain′er noun
—ob·tain′ment noun Synonyms: acquire, earn, gain, get, procure, receive, secure, win. When one gets the object of his desire, he is said to obtain it, whether he has gained or earned it or not. Win denotes contest, with a suggestion of chance or hazard; in popular language, a person is often said to win a lawsuit, but in legal phrase he is said to gain his suit, case, or cause. One obtains a thing commonly by some direct effort of his own, he procures it commonly by the intervention of someone else; he secures what has seemed uncertain or elusive, when he gets it firmly into his possession or under his control. Compare GAIN, GET, PURCHASE.