achieve

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
15
Words With Friends
16
Letters
7
Pronunciation
/əˈt͡ʃiːv/

Definition of achieve

6 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. (intransitive)To succeed in something, now especially in academic performance.
See all 6 definitions

verb

  1. (intransitive)To succeed in something, now especially in academic performance.
  2. (transitive)To carry out successfully; to accomplish.
    “achieve goals”
    “achieve objectives”
    “You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.”
    “Hannah achieved her lifelong dream of winning a medal at the Olympics.”
    “Supposing faculties and powers to be the same, far more may be achieved in any line by the aid of a capital, invigorating motive than without it.”
  3. (obsolete, transitive)To conclude, finish, especially successfully.
    “Full many Countreyes they did overronne, From the uprising to the setting Sunne, And many hard adventures did atchieve […]”
  4. (transitive)To obtain, or gain (a desired result, objective etc.), as the result of exertion; to succeed in gaining; to win.
    “I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.”
    “Bradford may have lost on the night but they stubbornly protected a 3-1 first-leg advantage to emulate a feat last achieved by Rochdale in 1962.”
    “Some are born great, some achieve greatness.”
    “Thou hast achieved our liberty.”
  5. (intransitive, obsolete)To conclude, to turn out.
  6. (literary, transitive)To obtain (a material thing).
    “He hath achieved a maid That paragons description.”
    “[U]s hitherto this Corner and ſecret receſſe hath defended, novv the Vttermoſt point of our Land is laid open: and things the leſſe they haue beene vvithin knovvledge, the greater the glorie is to atchieue them.”
    “Show all the spoils by valiant kings achieved.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English achieven, acheven, from Anglo-Norman achever, Old French achever, achiever et al., apparently from Late Latin *accapāre, from ad (“to”) + caput (“head”) + -ō (verbal suffix), or alternatively a construction based on Old French chief (“head”). Compare Catalan, Occitan, Portuguese and Spanish acabar, French achever.

Anagrams of achieve

1 play · some not in Scrabble

Hooks

3 extensions · 3 back

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