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attract definition

at·tract (ə trakt′)

transitive verb

  1. to draw to itself or oneself; make approach or adhere magnets attract iron
  2. to get the admiration, attention, etc. of; allure his smile attracted her

Etymology: ME attracten < L attractus, pp. of attrahere, to draw to < ad-, to + trahere, draw

intransitive verb

to be attractive

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

attract Synonyms

attract

v.

  1. To draw

    pull, draw, drag, bring; see draw 1.

  2. To allure

    allure, charm, appeal to, interest, intrigue, lure, captivate, fascinate, enchant, invite, entice, draw, beguile, tempt, excite, strike one's fancy, catch one's eye, pique one's interest, turn one on*; see also fascinate.

attract implies the exertion of a force such as magnetism to draw a person or thing and connotes susceptibility in the thing drawn; allure implies attraction by that which seductively offers pleasure, delight, reward, etc.; charm suggests the literal or figurative casting of a spell and implies very pleasing qualities in the agent; fascinate and enchant both also suggest a magical power, fascinate stressing an irresistible holding of interest and enchant the evoking of great delight; captivate implies a capturing of the attention or affection, but suggests a light, passing influence


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

attract Usage Examples

Object

  • attention: You will probably want to flash the title bar more than once to attract attention.

Subject

  • prospect: Motorbike enthusiasts will be attracted by the prospect of free test drives on the innovative new concept bike, the Carver One.

Preposition: over

  • delegate: The Festival annually attracts over 1900 delegates from all sectors and levels of the industry.

Preposition: around

  • visitor: A trust will now run the garden, which overlooks Milford Haven waterway and attracts around 10,000 visitors a year.

Adjective complement

  • more: Its public meetings rarely attract more than a few score people most of whom are DSM members in any case.

Modifying Another Word

  • inward: I favor business parks and cross-border tax-free zones as ways of attracting inward investors: they might entice companies here.

Noun phrase with adjective complement

  • such: Its spread attracts nouns such as " plague " and " virus " , but some of the criticism is unjustified.

Preposition: by

  • prospect: Motorbike enthusiasts will be attracted by the prospect of free test drives on the innovative new concept bike, the Carver One.

Present participle complement

  • increase: Their use in security, which is attracting increasing interest, is less general and less of an accepted principle.
attract usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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"attract." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/attract>

APA Style

attract. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/attract

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