Question
Updated on
14 Jul 2020
- German
-
English (US)
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between obtain and gain and get ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between obtain and gain and get ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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- English (US)
“Get” is a very common but informal word that is used often in everyday speech but rarely in writing. It means a lot of things depending on the context.
Many times “get” and “obtain” mean the same thing.
Example:
I go to the store and get some milk.
I go to the store and obtain some milk.
Note that the second example with obtain sounds very strange because obtain is not used often in speech.
Gain means to obtain something as a result of something else, or to win something.
Example:
When the employee handled the difficult task, she gained the respect of her boss.
You should take the bet. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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- English (US)
@sametefe00
Get - to receive, to have (doesn’t have to be from a person, you can get it yourself)
I got a letter in the mail.
Used in everyday conversations, the most common of the three.
I gotta (slang for got to, or have to) go
Gain - to earn, to add something (in a way)
My rock collection is gaining rare rocks really fast.
We gained speed very fast, so when we hit the curve the breaks jolted me forward.
Not super common, but it is still used in day to day conversations. Usually used when people “gain” weight.
Obtain - to acquire, to achieve to get something (but this word is more formal)
He obtained a new gadget in the video game.
In the movie it talks about how she wanted to obtain the power.
Least used of the three, it’s more formal but a good word for vocabulary.
Highly-rated answerer
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- German
@Cas_S @blue936 So get is informal and obtain has the same meaning but it's formal. And gain just means that you add something to your collection/ to something you already have. You increase the quantity/number of it?
- English (US)
@sametefe00 Very nice 👍🏻 Keep in mind that “get” has additional meanings that include “to have to” and “to understand” depending on the context.
Example:
I gotta go now. (I have to go)
I don’t get any of this math stuff (I don’t understand any of this math stuff)
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- English (US)
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