lexicow

achieve

/əˈtʃiːv//əˈtʃiːv/·verb
I watch a tiny figure haul itself up the ridge, slip back once near the very top — my stomach drops with it — then claw up the last stretch and stand, arms flung wide, as a flag bites into the peak and the sun cracks open behind it. The slip is the part I keep watching for; the raised arms only mean anything because of it.
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Definition

To achieve something is to reach it on purpose and at a cost — to bring a goal all the way to its head after effort, not to stumble into it. The word comes from Old French achever, 'to bring to a head', and that finishing sense still clings to it: you achieve a result, a target, a standard, rarely a small daily act. It implies the climb behind the outcome, which is why we speak of a hard-won achievement and never of achieving breathing.

Examples

  • She finally achieved a perfect score after months of quiet, stubborn practice.
  • To achieve fluency, you have to persist through the stage where every sentence feels clumsy.
  • The reforms achieved very little, because almost no one was willing to abandon the old routine.

Collocations

achieve a goal·achieve success·achieve a high score·hard to achieve·achieve a balance

Synonyms

attain·accomplish·realize·secure·reach

Antonyms

fail·abandon·forfeit

Word family

achievement (noun)·achievable (adjective)·achiever (noun)

In TOEFL & IELTS

One of the highest-frequency academic verbs and a natural upgrade from 'get' or 'reach'. It takes goal-like objects: achieve a goal / result / target / standard / consensus / a balance — never 'achieve a problem'. In IELTS Task 2 it powers thesis sentences ('to achieve sustainable growth, governments must…'). Watch the spelling (i before e) and the smooth /tʃ/ start.