verb
Meaning 1
To pull toward without touching.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- A magnet attracts iron filings.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
attract
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/əˈtɹækt/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ækt
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CMU ARPABET: AH0 T R AE1 K T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To draw by moral, emotional or sexual influence; to engage or fix, as the mind, attention, etc.; to invite or allure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- to attract admirers
- Advertising is designed to attract customers.
- His big smile and brown eyes instantly attracted me.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: beckon, appeal
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To incur.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- Using the minibar in a hotel room attracts additional charges.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
exert a force on (a body) causing it to approach or prevent it from moving away
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the gravitational pull of a planet attracts other bodies
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: pull
verb
Meaning 5
direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Her good looks attract the stares of many men
- The ad pulled in many potential customers
- This pianist pulls huge crowds
- The store owner was happy that the ad drew in many new customers
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pull, pull in, draw, draw in
Antonyms: repel
Broader terms: pull, draw, force
Narrower terms: tug, catch, arrest, get, draw in, retract, bring
verb
Meaning 6
be attractive to
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The idea of a vacation appeals to me
- The beautiful garden attracted many people
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: appeal
Antonyms: repel
Narrower terms: capture, enamour, trance, catch, becharm, enamor, captivate, beguile, charm, fascinate, bewitch, entrance, enchant, beckon
History
Etymology
From Latin attractus, past participle of attrahere (“to draw to, attract”), from ad (“to”) + trahere (“to draw”).
Across languages
Translations
84 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: اِجْتَذَبَ (ijtaḏaba) — pull without touching
- Arabic: جَذَبَ (jaḏaba) — pull without touching
- Arabic: لَفَتَ (lafata) — pull without touching
- Bulgarian: привличам (privličam) — pull without touching
- Catalan: atreure — pull without touching
- Chinese Mandarin: 吸引 (xīyǐn) — pull without touching
- Czech: přitahovat — pull without touching
- Dutch: aantrekken — pull without touching
- Esperanto: altiri — pull without touching
- Finnish: vetää puoleensa — pull without touching
- French: attirer — pull without touching
- Galician: atraer — pull without touching
- Georgian: მიზიდვა (mizidva) — pull without touching
- German: anziehen — pull without touching
- Greek: έλκω (élko) — pull without touching
- Hungarian: vonz — pull without touching
- Italian: attirare — pull without touching
- Japanese: 引きつける (hikitsukeru) — pull without touching
- Korean: 끌다 (kkeulda) — pull without touching
- Korean: 끌어들이다 (kkeureodeurida) — pull without touching
- Korean: 당기다 (danggida) — pull without touching
- Latin: alliciō — pull without touching
- Māori: whakamanea — pull without touching
- Māori: whakapoapoa — pull without touching
- Portuguese: atrair — pull without touching
- Romanian: atrage — pull without touching
- Russian: притя́гивать (pritjágivatʹ) — pull without touching
- Russian: притяну́ть (pritjanútʹ) — pull without touching
- Scottish Gaelic: tarraing — pull without touching
- Spanish: atraer — pull without touching
- Swedish: attrahera — pull without touching
- Thai: ดึงดูด (dʉng-dùut) — pull without touching
- Ukrainian: притяга́ти (prytjaháty) — pull without touching
- Catalan: atreure — arouse interest
- Chinese Mandarin: 招引 (zhāoyǐn) — arouse interest
- Chinese Mandarin: 吸引 (xīyǐn) — arouse interest
- Czech: přitahovat — arouse interest
- Dutch: aandacht trekken — arouse interest
- Esperanto: allogi — arouse interest
- Finnish: houkutella — arouse interest
- Georgian: მიზიდვა (mizidva) — arouse interest
- Greek: ελκύω (elkýo) — arouse interest
- Greek: προσελκύω (proselkýo) — arouse interest
- Ancient Greek: ἐφέλκομαι (ephélkomai) — arouse interest
- Hungarian: vonz — arouse interest
- Hungarian: felkelti az érdeklődést — arouse interest
- Italian: attrarre — arouse interest
- Japanese: 引きつける (hikitsukeru) — arouse interest
- Korean: 끌다 (kkeulda) — arouse interest
- Lithuanian: pritraukti — arouse interest
- Māori: whakamanea — arouse interest
- Nepali: तान्नु (tānnu) — arouse interest
- Portuguese: atrair — arouse interest
- Russian: привлека́ть (privlekátʹ) — arouse interest
- Russian: привле́чь (privléčʹ) — arouse interest
- Scottish Gaelic: tarraing — arouse interest
- Spanish: llamar — arouse interest
- Spanish: atraer — arouse interest
- Swedish: locka — arouse interest
- Thai: ดึงดูด (dʉng-dùut) — arouse interest
- Bulgarian: привличам (privličam) — cause sexual excitement
- Chinese Mandarin: 勾引 (gōuyǐn) — cause sexual excitement
- Chinese Mandarin: 引誘 /引诱 (yǐnyòu) — cause sexual excitement
- Czech: přitahovat — cause sexual excitement
- Dutch: aantrekken — cause sexual excitement
- Finnish: viehättää — cause sexual excitement
- Galician: excitar — cause sexual excitement
- Georgian: მიზიდვა (mizidva) — cause sexual excitement
- Greek: ελκύω (elkýo) — cause sexual excitement
- Greek: προσελκύω (proselkýo) — cause sexual excitement
- Italian: sedurre — cause sexual excitement
- Italian: affascinare — cause sexual excitement
- Japanese: 引きつける (hikitsukeru) — cause sexual excitement
- Polish: pociągać — cause sexual excitement
- Portuguese: atrair — cause sexual excitement
- Portuguese: excitar — cause sexual excitement
- Romanian: atrage — cause sexual excitement
- Russian: привлека́ть (privlekátʹ) — cause sexual excitement
- Russian: привле́чь (privléčʹ) — cause sexual excitement
- Scottish Gaelic: tarraing — cause sexual excitement
- Spanish: atraer — cause sexual excitement
- Thai: ดึงดูด (dʉng-dùut) — cause sexual excitement
- Ukrainian: прив́аблювати (pryv́abljuvaty) — cause sexual excitement
- Ukrainian: приверта́ти (pryvertáty) — cause sexual excitement
Real reading context