# obtain

/əbˈteɪn/ (US) · /ɒbtˈeɪn/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/obtain
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to get or acquire

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

to get something, especially by making an effort or following a process.

For teachers: to acquire or procure something through effort, request, or formal procedure. Transitive — requires a direct object.

- You must obtain a permit from the city before you start building the fence.
- The researchers struggled to obtain the necessary data from the government, as the files were still classified for security reasons.

Usage: Often used in administrative, legal, or academic contexts rather than casual conversation.

### 2. to be true or in effect

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal · Academic

to exist or be the situation that is currently happening.

For teachers: to be prevalent, customary, or in force; to hold true in a specific context. Intransitive — does not take a direct object.

- The same strict rules obtain in this office as they did twenty years ago.
- Economists are debating whether these market conditions still obtain in a digital economy where traditional borders no longer limit trade.

Usage: This sense is always intransitive and typically appears in academic or philosophical writing.

Teaching tip: This sense is much rarer than the 'to get' sense; learners should recognize it in formal texts but may prefer 'apply' or 'exist' in their own writing.

## Examples

- You must obtain a permit before you start building.
- The researchers had to obtain written consent from every participant before the study could begin.
- While the primary data was easy to collect, the team struggled to obtain the historical records necessary to validate their long-term projections.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.