achievev.
/əˈtʃiːv/, U.S. /əˈtʃiv/ 1. intransitive. To be successful in doing something; to attain a desired end or level of performance. Also simply: to strive, make an effort.In later use chiefly spec. with reference to academic performance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > prosper or flourish [verb (intransitive)] > prosper or be successful
speed993
achievec1300
provec1300
edifya1400
chevise14..
exploit1477
cottonc1560
fadge1611
through1675
to make the riffle1853
arrive1889
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > succeed or be a success [verb (intransitive)] > achieve success (of persons)
speed993
achievec1300
escheve?a1400
succeed1509
to turn up trumps1595
fadge1611
to nick ita1637
to hit the mark (also nail, needle, pin)1655
to get on1768
to reap, win one's laurels1819
to go a long way1859
win out1861
score1882
to make it1885
to make a ten-strike1887
to make the grade1912
to make good1914
to bring home the bacon1924
to go places1931
society > education > learning > [verb (intransitive)] > succeed in learning
achieve1953
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 864 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 131 (MED) Þanne we miȝten..Þe betere a-cheui [a1325 Corpus Cambr. Þe bet cheue] In ore conseille.
a1500 tr. A. Chartier Quadrilogue (Rawl.) (1974) 154 And ye woll atcheue, ye must put your hondis to the werke.
c1550 Clariodus (1830) v. 2055 Sir Porrus so weill atchevit.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iv. vii. 23 He..does atcheeue as soone As draw his Sword. View more context for this quotation
1713 R. Steele in Guardian 26 Mar. 2/2 This Youth has a Mind prepar'd to atchieve for the Salvion [sic] of Souls.
1838 H. W. Longfellow Psalm of Life in Voices of Night (1839) 7 Let us..be up and doing..Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.
1887 H. W. Beecher in W. Drysdale Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit 21 In engineering, that only is great which achieves.
1922 A. MacLeish Let. 10 Oct. (1983) 93 If we wished for wealth or political prestige or social priority..I have no doubt but we could achieve.
1953 Jrnl. Abnormal Psychol. 48 533/1 Ambitious students regularly achieve beyond their predicted ‘aptitude’ by dint of hard work.
1962 Educ. Leadership Oct. 15/2 They achieve in school by holding offices, being popular, and..leading the crowd in materialistic displays.
1980 Church Times 11 July 4/3 He believed that there were intelligent people in the parish who had not achieved academically.
1997 H. Kureishi Love in Blue Time 18 The way things were getting set up at home he had to achieve until he expired.
2. † b. transitive. To bring to an end; to finish, terminate. In early use also: spec. to terminate successfully, win (a battle or war). Obsolete.
a. transitive. To carry out successfully, bring to a successful conclusion (an action, enterprise, etc.); to accomplish, bring off.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > carrying out > execute, perform, or carry out [verb (transitive)]
lasteOE
ylastc888
wieldeOE
doeOE
dreeOE
forthOE
fremeOE
workOE
affordOE
full-bringc1175
fulfila1225
perfurnisha1325
complishc1374
performc1384
achievea1393
chevisea1400
practic?a1425
exploitc1425
execute1477
furnish1477
through1498
practa1513
enure1549
chare1570
enact1597
act1602
to carry out1608
outcarry1611
celebrate1615
complya1616
peract1621
tide1631
implement1837
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. 92 (MED) So woll I now this werk embrace..God grante I mot it wel achieve.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Ellesmere) (1877) §734 Thanne arn ther the vertues of ffeith and hope..in hise seintes to acheue and acomplice the goode werkes.
a1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (1987) ii. 808 He which that nothing undertaketh, Nothyng n'acheveth.
1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 17 Myrro suffrid him tachieue alle his proposicion.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin 609 (MED) Merlin..wolde achieue that he hadde be-gonne.
1513 T. More Hist. Edward V 3 Appointed to atchieve a more abominable enterprise.
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. 808/1 Thus began the iusts, which was valiantlie atchiued by the king.
1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity 336 The strange Feats they say Antichrist is then to atchieve.
1725 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey I. i. 99 Let all combine t'atchieve his wish'd return.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xix. 138 The empress, resolute to atchieve the generous design which she had undertaken, was not unmindful of the care of his fortune.
1800 Monthly Mag. 8 601 From Scandinavia have poured the only barbarians who ever achieved an unconsented conquest of the British isles.
1850 H. Melville White-jacket xxxviii. 188 It does not follow, that because chaplains are to be found in men-of-war, that..they achieve much good.
1882 A. W. Ward Dickens i. 14 Half achieving his task by the very heartiness with which he set about it.
1932 Sun (Baltimore) 5 Sept. 1/2 The moratorium on picketing..seemed virtually achieved when only on two highways..were farmers turning back live stock and produce trucks.
1990 D. J. Calvert Harrier 51/3 Maintainability was high, and 10min turnarounds could be achieved when necessary.
2002 Shares 3 Oct. 19/2 Chris has achieved a lot. But the devil is in the detail, and it is now up to EU bureaucrats to hammer out the final details.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ceasing > cease from (an action or operation) [verb (transitive)] > cause to cease or put a stop to
astintc700
stathea1200
atstuntc1220
to put an end toa1300
to set end ofa1300
batec1300
stanch1338
stinta1350
to put awayc1350
arrestc1374
finisha1375
terminec1390
achievea1393
cease1393
removec1405
terminate?a1425
stop1426
surceasec1435
resta1450
discontinue1474
adetermine1483
blina1500
stay1525
abrogatea1529
suppressa1538
to set in or at stay1538
to make stay of1572
depart1579
check1581
intercept1581
to give a stop toa1586
dirempt1587
date1589
period1595
astayc1600
nip1600
to break off1607
snape1631
sist1635
to make (a) stop of1638
supersede1643
assopiatea1649
periodizea1657
unbusya1657
to put a stop to1679
to give the holla to1681
to run down1697
cessate1701
end1737
to choke off1818
stopper1821
punctuate1825
to put a stopper on1828
to take off ——1845
still1850
to put the lid on1873
on the fritz1900
to close down1903
to put the fritz on something1910
to put the bee on1918
switch1921
to blow the whistle on1934
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > end or conclusion > bring to an end or conclude [verb (transitive)]
yendc1000
abatec1300
finec1300
endc1305
finisha1375
definec1384
terminec1390
achievea1393
out-enda1400
terminate?a1425
conclude1430
close1439
to bring adowna1450
terma1475
adetermine1483
determine1483
to knit up1530
do1549
parclose1558
to shut up1575
expire1578
date1589
to close up1592
period1595
includea1616
apostrophate1622
to wind off1650
periodizea1657
dismiss1698
to wind up1740
to put the lid on1873
to put the tin hat on something1900
to wash up1925
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. 1311 (MED) Whan he hise werres hadde achieved.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 4630 How is this quarell yit acheved Of Loves side?
c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women 2111 For t'acheve my batayle, I wolde nevere from this place fle.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. B All these thynges tyme acheueth and burieth.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V iv. iii. 92 Bid them atchieue me, and then sell my bones.
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 163 I had now atchiev'd this rare adventure, ultimately much more to my satisfaction than I had bespoke the nature of it to turn out.
3.
a. transitive. To succeed in gaining; to acquire or attain (a desired objective, result, etc.), esp. through effort, skill, or courage; to gain, win; to reach (an end or goal). Also occasionally with infinitive as object.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)]
wieldeOE
haveeOE
ofgoOE
oweOE
addlec1175
winc1175
avela1200
to come by ——a1225
covera1250
oughtc1275
reachc1275
hentc1300
purchasec1300
to come to ——c1330
getc1330
pickc1330
chevise1340
fang1340
umbracec1350
chacche1362
perceivea1382
accroacha1393
achievea1393
to come at ——a1393
areach1393
recovera1398
encroach?a1400
chevec1400
enquilec1400
obtainc1422
recurec1425
to take upc1425
acquirea1450
encheve1470
sortise1474
conques?a1500
tain1501
report1508
conquest1513
possess1526
compare1532
cough1550
coff1559
fall1568
reap1581
acquist1592
accrue1594
appurchasec1600
recoil1632
to get at ——1666
to come into ——1672
rise1754
net1765
to fall in for1788
to scare up1846
access1953
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)] > as something desired or advantageous
findOE
winc1000
betellc1275
getc1330
reapa1350
craftc1350
attainc1374
achievea1393
embrace?c1475
conquer1477
consecute1536
gain1570
lucrify1570
compass1609
raise1611
lucrate1623
reconcile1665
engage1725
to pull off1860
the world > action or operation > completing > complete (an action or piece of work) [verb (transitive)] > reach or accomplish by effort
overcome?c1225
attain1393
achievea1569
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > make a success of [verb (transitive)] > succeed in or achieve a purpose
reacheOE
awinc1000
attain1393
speedc1400
comprehenda1450
escheve1489
to make out1535
consecute1536
compass1549
achievea1569
aspire1581
obtain1589
subdue1590
to go a long (also great, short, etc.) way1624
arrivea1657
kill1899
nail1981
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. 103 (MED) Every brid hath chose his make And thenkth, his merthes forto make Of love that he hath achieved.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. 2043 (MED) Ther was no lond which mihte achieve, With werre Rome forto grieve.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl 475 What more honour moȝte he acheue.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. ccccxv. 726 If ye flemynges had achyued the prise ouer them.
a1569 A. Kingsmill Viewe Mans Estate (1580) xi. 77 By these means, in some hath he atchived the ende of his message.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) v. i. 367 Some are borne great, some atchieue greatnesse. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 792 Having spilt much blood..and achievd thereby Fame in the World. View more context for this quotation
1684 R. Waller tr. Ess. Nat. Exper. Acad. del Cimento 70 Whether she Atchieves her End by Contracting, or Rarefying the Fluid.
1704 R. Steele Lying Lover i. 4 Book.'Tis Valour and Feats done in the Field, a Man shou'd be cry'd up for;—nor is't so hard to atchieve—Lat. The Fame of it you mean.
1758 T. Edwards Sonnets 291 In elder time thus Heroes wont t'atchieve Renown.
1794 R. J. Sulivan View of Nature I. 255 These able men strove to attain the same great end, and separately atchieved it.
1833 H. Martineau Berkeley the Banker i. vii. 151 Now is the time for you and me to try to achieve a truer independence.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule iii. 42 He had achieved a good reputation.
1895 Catholic World Nov. 148 A nation achieves its goal when inventions are multiplied, industries fostered, [etc.].
1896 C. G. D. Roberts Forge in Forest iv. 56 He had tracked them with a cunning beyond their own, and so achieved to outdo them with their own weapons.
1927 Observer 24 Apr. 8/4 There is an air of strain, as if she were attempting..to achieve a high-flown style.
1941 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 4 Oct. 1221/1 One of the principal reasons why Nylon stockings have achieved popularity.
1983 T. Hoyle Last Gasp xxx. 420 Mass-driver accelerated pods.., traveling two miles in 3.4 seconds, at which speed the pods dropped away and the payloads achieved lunar escape velocity.
2007 Atlantic Monthly Nov. 57/3 American manners, now a major influence on much of the modern world, have roughly achieved the goal of equal treatment.
b. intransitive. With to. To arrive at or attain successfully a position, state, etc. Now literary and rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > completing > complete or conclude action [verb (intransitive)] > achieve an end or condition by progress
acomeOE
wina1300
chevec1300
attainc1375
reacha1400
achievec1400
geta1425
sort1543
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) 1838 (MED) Er God hym grace sende, To acheue to þe chaunce þat he hade chosen þere.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) 1857 (MED) When he acheued to þe chapel, his chek for to fech.
a1492 W. Caxton tr. Vitas Patrum (1495) i. xlvii. f. lxxxiiiiv/1 That this begynnynge maye achyeue fro good to better.
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) I. 23/2 By the meanes wherof the Archbishops of the Romishe see haue achiued to this their great kyngdome.
1572 W. Forrest Theophilus in Anglia (1884) 7 89 So he might atcheive to his former fame.
1655 R. Turner tr. H. C. Agrippa Fourth Bk. Occult Philos. 240 The third is, to excel in military affairs, and happily to atchieve to great things, and to be an head of the head of Kings and Princes.
1903 J. London Call of Wild iii. 94 He had held his own with all manner of dogs and achieved to mastery over them.
c. transitive. To succeed in acquiring or constructing (a material object). Now chiefly literary.
ΚΠ
1485 W. Caxton in Malory's Morte Darthur Table of Contents sig. xi How the knyghtes that shold achyeue the sangreal shold be knowen.
1550 T. Nicolls tr. Thucydides Hist. Peloponnesian War f. clxxviv They hauynge acheued the walle, whiche they determyned to make fro their campe vnto the sea, were retyredde into their forte in the vppermoste parte.
1555 W. Waterman tr. Josephus in tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions sig. U.iiij What time then ye shall haue achieued the land of Chanaan.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. i. 62 He hath atchieu'd a maide, That parragons description. View more context for this quotation
1619 E. M. Bolton tr. Florus Rom. Hist. 485 Prouinces are atchieued by the sword, but retayned by iustice.
1703 T. D'Urfey Old Mode & New v. ii. 68 Crackt-brain'd..for loss of his Heiress, whom I have atchieved and married here in spite of ye by dint of Brain and Merit.
1847 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 3/2 Those who achieved riches, earned them hardly by peril and privation.
1895 Daily News 1 June 5/6 It was..determined to achieve the new fronting without disturbing it [sc. the Dutch cannon ball].
1925 Today's Housewife Feb. 7/2 In some of the tables, they even achieved drawers. For their dining room, and for the bedroom, were made chests of three drawers each, utilizing the boards which were cut away from the sides of the boxes for building the drawers.
1970 R. Thorp & R. Blake Music of their Laughter 127/2 So they achieve food, they get economic stability, then power.
2000 S. Mackay Heligoland vii. 103 She has waited a long time to achieve a knife block of her own.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > result [verb (intransitive)] > turn out
goOE
farec1230
to come to proofc1330
shape1338
afarec1380
achievea1393
falla1398
sort1477
succeed1541
lucka1547
to fall out1556
redound1586
to come off1590
light1612
takea1625
result1626
issue1665
to turn out1731
eventuate1787
to roll out1801
to come away1823
to work out1839
pan1865
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vi. 2379 (MED) For it schal nevere wel achieve, That stant noght riht with the believe.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 1068 Yuel achyued [Fr. arivés] mote they be These losengers ful of envye.
a1500 Sir Degrevant (Cambr.) (1949) 480 (MED) He shall loue þat swet wyȝt, Acheue how hit wold.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. ccclxxvi. 626 Wherfore all your busynes shall acheue the better.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. Dd.viiiv Thei [sc. gods] bee called immortall..and we be called mortal..thus acheuethe the persones: but the goddis neuer.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2009; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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