achievementa‧chieve‧ment /əˈtʃiːvmənt/ ●●● S3 W2 AWL noun 
We try to celebrate the achievements of our students. His great achievement is to make all the players into a united team.somebody’s achievement in (doing) something The test measures children’s achievements in reading, spelling, and maths.2[uncountable] when you achieve something or when people achieve something: Roberts is researching the effect of social class on educational achievement. As we climbed the final few metres, we felt a sense of achievement.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa great/fine/impressive achievement (=one that deserves to be admired)· Winning the award was a great achievement.a remarkable/extraordinary achievement (=one that is unusual or surprising and deserves praise)· In recognition of this remarkable achievement he was awarded the OBE.a major/important achievement· Writing the book was a major achievement.an outstanding achievement (=an extremely impressive achievement)· Eisenhower' s outstanding achievement was to avoid war.a considerable achievement (=one that has a large effect)· These studies represent a considerable achievement.somebody’s crowning/supreme achievement (=the best of several impressive achievements)· Her appointment to the Paris post was the crowning achievement of her life.verbssomething represents an achievement (=something is an achievement)· Few people realised what an enormous achievement Concorde represented.phrasesbe no mean achievement (=be difficult to achieve and therefore worth admiring)· He got the top mark in the country which is no mean achievement.be quite an achievement (=be an impressive achievement)· Working and bringing up kids on your own is quite an achievement.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He didn't realize until much later what a spectacular achievement his father made in getting his commission as an officer.
- I'm very proud of my achievements as program director.
- They read about his achievements in the press, and were filled with pride.
- Todd always downplayed his athletic achievements.
- We need to raise the level of academic achievement in public schools.
- Winning three gold medals is a remarkable achievement.
- Excessive need to inflate the importance and achievements of oneself, males in general, or both.
- Five past pupils had this year obtained first-class Honours degrees, an achievement performed only once before, in 1950.
- Implied dismissal of past achievements creates a lack of confidence.
- Oswald's achievement was certainly magnified.
- Rose Briant added to her previous achievements by producing the show.
- The purpose: to present an award recognizing special achievement in the fight against a learning disability known as dyslexia.
- This was some achievement, since my office was on the fifth floor of the World Bank's headquarters.
Longman Language Activatorsomething that you succeed in doing
when someone or something is successful: · The president believed that his approach was the only one with any chance of success.· After her recent successes in Tokyo and New York, Bjork has returned to perform in England.· Auster was surprised at the success of his latest novel.· Critics have been astonished at the film's success.be a success: · The concert was a great success.success in: · Success in business depends on hard work, determination, and good ideas.(a) big/huge/outstanding etc success: · Many first-class students go on to have even greater success.
something important that you succeed in doing by your own efforts and that other people admire: · Winning three gold medals is a remarkable achievement.· They read about his achievements in the press, and were filled with pride.· He didn't realize until much later what a spectacular achievement his father made in getting his commission as an officer. · Todd always downplayed his athletic achievements.
when you gradually get closer to the result you want to achieve: · We are very pleased with your son's progress at school.· a progress reportprogress in: · Progress in technology has changed people's lives dramatically.progress towards: · We are making steady progress towards equal status for men and women.make progress: · Yes, we've made progress. But there's so much more to do.· The two sides are making some progress toward a compromise.
an important discovery or achievement, especially one that happens suddenly after people have been trying for a long time: · This was an important breakthrough that had an enormous impact on the scientific community.breakthrough in: · Scientists are claiming a major breakthrough in the treatment of AIDS.· The technique is being described as a breakthrough in the field of tele-medicine.make a breakthrough: · Police say they have made a breakthrough in their search for the killer of Diane Sutton.
something good that someone has succeeded in doing and that they are proud of doing: · The Society is giving a dinner for top businesswomen, to reward and recognize their accomplishments.· The team's undefeated run this year is an outstanding accomplishment.· The establishment of full diplomatic relations with China was a major accomplishment of the Carter administration.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives his crowning achievement It’s a remarkable achievement for the company. The university has done me the signal honour of making me an Honorary Fellow.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
(=one that deserves to be admired)· Winning the award was a great achievement.
(=one that is unusual or surprising and deserves praise)· In recognition of this remarkable achievement he was awarded the OBE.
· Writing the book was a major achievement.
(=an extremely impressive achievement)· Eisenhower' s outstanding achievement was to avoid war.
(=one that has a large effect)· These studies represent a considerable achievement.
(=the best of several impressive achievements)· Her appointment to the Paris post was the crowning achievement of her life.
verbs (=something is an achievement)· Few people realised what an enormous achievement Concorde represented.
phrases (=be difficult to achieve and therefore worth admiring)· He got the top mark in the country which is no mean achievement.
(=be an impressive achievement)· Working and bringing up kids on your own is quite an achievement.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· Girls’ academic achievements are at least as good as boys’.
his crowning achievement It’s a remarkable achievement for the company. (=a feeling that you have achieved something good)· Even a small success gives a sense of achievement.
The university has done me the signal honour of making me an Honorary Fellow.· Mr. Sayeed Does my hon. Friend agree that assessing ability only in terms of academic achievement sells young people short?· The students were chosen because of their strong leadership potential, academic achievement and involvement in extracurricular activities.· Core skills are those which are basic to all vocational and academic achievement.· Does divorce interfere with academic achievement?· Evidence of recent academic achievement is normally required.· Likewise, early reading problems and low scores on achievement tests are often used as an indicator of anticipated weak academic achievement.· A prevailing sense of relief and a chance for everyone to forge a career non-reliant on academic achievement.· The extent to which school-to-work can raise academic achievement is less clear.
· During all this time, however, his artistic achievement continued in private.· Each nominee received a certificate from academy president Arthur Hiller in recognition of his or her artistic achievements.· National or political fervour can alternatively be the motor force of remarkable artistic achievements.· We have assumed that stylistics investigates the relation between the writer's artistic achievement, and how it is achieved through language.· I suspect they award points for skill in flying and for artistic achievement too!
· Nevertheless, they represent a considerable achievement by all the member states.· They represent a considerable achievement on the part of the lesbian and gay trade union groups.· If Barak can contain the potential for these stresses and strains to muddy his agenda, that will be a considerable achievement.· They had worked hard in pursuing their education and had considerable achievements to their credit.· Now it's up to you Only a few years ago it was a considerable achievement to fly a model helicopter at all.
· There is also increased awareness that educational achievements are closely connected to national cultures and traditions.· The aim is to relate their educational achievements to their experiences at school and to their parents' help at home.· And does include a question about their educational achievement?· Literacy rates, a good indicator of educational achievement, have improved very considerably during the century.· Roberts goes on to link educational achievement with the level of economic development of the region of out-migration.· Mr McGuinness argues that the present system breeds inequality and produces a long tail of educational under-achievement.· The borough is struggling to raise its low levels of educational achievement.
· And it was done with an extraordinary vault of achievement.· There have been attempts to depict this extraordinary achievement as a form of musical consumerism.· His extraordinary achievements of discovery, surveying and collecting were not acknowledged in his lifetime.· Technically it is an extraordinary achievement.· The Jubilee 2000 campaign, which officially ended last week, has been an extraordinary achievement.
· Experts consider his finest achievement to be the West Pier, with its elegant cast-iron kiosks, railings, and windscreens.· Nor do the trophies alone mark their finest achievements.· In proportional terms, this is itself a fine achievement.· That was an extraordinarily fine achievement in such a short space of time.· Bloomsbury House was Hailey's finest achievement.· Getting it right is a fine achievement that those who have managed it should be proud of.· All art and all the finest achievements of mankind have sprung from emotion.
· In the May 1997 election he led the Liberal Democrats to their greatest electoral achievement since 1929.· It has produced great achievements but also notable waste.· To get to this exciting stage is a great achievement.· In some ways this is the administration's greatest achievement.· But they left largely unchallenged the Bolshevik view of October 1917 itself as the greatest achievement of the world revolutionary movement.· Is not this a most commendable goal-a great achievement?· The Labyrinth at Knossos is generally recognized to have been one of the greatest architectural achievements of the ancient world.· The greatest achievements were obtained in the fight against communicable disease.
· We must forget the notion that the highest intellectual achievement is that of specialized and detailed knowledge.· Now they own an international distribution company and have reached the highest levels of achievement in our business.· All the little steps have added up to a high achievement.· Now, the whole family has reached high levels of achievement in the Amway business.· A high standard of achievement qualifies students to apply for entry to postgraduate taught courses and research studies.· When this happens, the direct outcome is that they will sense higher levels of achievement, competence, and personal effectiveness.· With us he is relaxed, amusing and always considerate, urging us all to the highest achievements.· The Humphreys not only met their goals, they went on to even higher levels of achievement in this business.
· In that casual gesture she trampled upon an awesome human achievement and upon great sacrifices contributed by the natural world.· All human achievement, he thought, involved challenge and response.· Human nature and human achievements have come to appear far more ambiguous than the progressive hopes of the nineteenth century admitted.· And yet they, too, ranked as human achievements.
· Meeting these attainable short-term goals and progressively crossing them off the list can provide an important sense of achievement and reinforcement.· That he seemed to take no joy at all in this important achievement worried me.· Reaching this third week is a very important and significant achievement.· In the postwar years, we have seen some tendencies bypass Stalinism and register important achievements.
· That I had managed to stop them was a major achievement on my part.· The parks package is considered a major pro-environment achievement by both Republicans and Democrats.· One point of aid was used, which in no way diminishes what is a major achievement.· But a question about his major achievements as vice president yields a remarkable, 3-minute response.· But, undoubtedly,'s major achievements were in the field of vaccination against polio.· His major achievement was a comprehensive and unusually liberal legal code.· However, it is in reading that the major problem of achievement lies.· Though it did not receive much publicity, it was a major achievement and long overdue.
· No mean achievement given the established market domination by Sage.· For an immigrant boy this marital alliance was no mean achievement.· But that was no mean achievement.· It will be no mean achievement.· This is no mean achievement as it means achieving Guild membership consistently for five successive years.· To have provided such an advance on existing theories is no mean achievement.· Considering that we were completely and utterly untrained at this stage of the war, this was no mean achievement.
· Or a history of notable achievement in some area.· City of Darkness, City of Light is a notable achievement of historical fiction, though not a flawless one.· Behind the scenes at London Zoo, staff have been responsible for some notable breeding achievements among rare and endangered species.· Even some of the century's most notable achievements were presented in theological terms.· Not withstanding such notable achievements I share some of the reservations the authors express about Wentwood Education.
· The Award is one of four made annually to encourage the local community to mark outstanding achievements.· I was just a simple plaque saying that I was rewarded for my outstanding achievement in science and math.· Read in studio Britain's top Olympic and paralympic athletes gathered today to celebrate the outstanding achievements in their sports.· Henley rower, Steve Redgrave has been honoured for his outstanding achievement in the sport.· Animal prize: Billingham campus school has been awarded the Frank Cook Award for outstanding achievements and concern for animal welfare.
· That she does it for the money, which symbolises affection, emotional security and personal achievement.· To me it was a great personal achievement.· As such it was prod and key to personal achievement and productivity.· The emphasis is on personal achievement.· In classrooms where such a pattern exists personal pace and achievement can be taken as the yardstick against which learning is measured.· Looking at his personal relationships and achievements, he is at a loss to account for the degree of hostility.· There has always been a close correlation between the status of older people, and their personal achievement.· Within your personal achievements, however small, are the seeds of self-knowledge about your abilities, skills and potential.
· His second term was anti-climatic, with few proud achievements.· Despite all our complaints we were proud of the achievements of this country.· He scored at a fair clip and can be very proud of his achievements.· Back in the repair room, Mark's colleagues are proud of his achievement.· We can afford to be proud of this achievement.· The University can be justifiably proud of its achievements in this respect.· We were quite proud of this achievement as it would seem to have no precedent.
· That was Oregon's real if flawed achievement.· His only real legislative achievement was creation of the Peace Corps.· She formed a instinctive rapport with many patients, her efforts giving her a real sense of achievement.· There was also, says exploration manager Neil Ritson, a sense of real achievement.· But the mid-west's real achievement has been to make its old businesses, particularly manufacturing, much more productive.· An adequate transactional competence should be a real achievement of lasting value.
· The stabilization of the currency overnight was a remarkable achievement.· Dug by hand, the miles upon miles of tunnels were a remarkable achievement of both cleverness and will.· National or political fervour can alternatively be the motor force of remarkable artistic achievements.· That remarkable achievement seems more bizarre with every passing day.· An almost remarkable achievement, even though you feel as though you've been in their bedroom before in a different life.· For such a remarkable achievement the close co-operation of many generations of patient observers must have been necessary.· It is a remarkable achievement for Trevino, in his first season on the Seniors' circuit.· A truly remarkable achievement and one that demonstrates the enthusiasm with which Johnson Matthey has responded to the challenge.
· Already in the background there were the significant achievements of the newly developed science of geology.· However, she had a number of significant achievements that she could use in a new job.· Today is particularly important because it marks the three-quarter stage of a very significant goal achievement.· This is a significant achievement when figures show 87 percent of those locked up re-offend.· It is therefore a significant achievement and bound to be considerable commercial value.· His most significant literary achievement was his involvement with two important periodicals.· This was a significant achievement in the highly competitive situation to which I have referred.· That is a significant achievement, of which the hon. Gentleman should be aware.
· Like the precise astronomical observations of the Maya, these technical achievements proved to be a dead end.· The Girl Scouts now offer a reward for technical achievement, a new computer badge.· An unsullied safety record swelled pride in Concorde's technical achievement as the years passed.· Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs would also be an unprecedented technical achievement.· The second technical achievement which goes some way to explaining Ramsay's success, is his superb draughtsmanship.· Civilizations offer compensations to some for the renunciations needed to maintain the technical achievements, and the wealth.· The writer is able to measure artists not only against each other but also against standards of technical achievement.
VERB· Added to this were attractive displays of children's work, to celebrate their achievement.· How do you celebrate children's achievements in your school?· Read in studio Britain's top Olympic and paralympic athletes gathered today to celebrate the outstanding achievements in their sports.· But since the War exhibitions have been held at Brussels, Montreal and Osaka by wealthy nations, celebrating their achievements.
· The fact that it was invited to join a coalition marks the crowning achievement of its crusade to achieve political respectability.· The crowning achievement was city hall.· His crowning achievement was his invention of the railroad air brake.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- But that was no mean achievement.
- For an immigrant boy this marital alliance was no mean achievement.
- Given that there are some 20,000 such fastenings in a boat of this size, this is no mean feat.
- In particular the notion that nurse training is for the young and for women only must be dispelled; no mean task.
- In this case it was no mean task.
- On Tuesday Invergordon Distillers reported a marginal improvement in underlying profits, no mean feat given the difficulties facing the whisky sector.
- This is no mean feat as the statute has 108 sections divided into 12 separate parts, together with 15 schedules.
- This is no mean task, especially if they have not been doing any recruitment for the past few months.
- I know that her proudest moment was when she won a prize in high school in 1929, for writing.
- It's the proudest possession in my house.
- To me, it was the funniest, proudest moment I had ever had in baseball.
- To this day, this remains Morrissey's proudest moment.
- A large body of theory and no small degree of controversy exist relative to the treatment of uncertainty.
- The idea suggests alignment of individual goals and group purposes, no small achievement.
WORD FAMILYnounachievementachieverunderachiever ≠ overachieverunderachievement ≠ overachievementverbachieveunderachieve ≠ overachieveadjectiveachievable
1[countable] something important that you succeed in doing by your own effortsachievement of We try to celebrate the achievements of our students. His great achievement is to make all the players into a united team.somebody’s achievement in (doing) something The test measures children’s achievements in reading, spelling, and maths.2[uncountable] when you achieve something or when people achieve something: Roberts is researching the effect of social class on educational achievement. As we climbed the final few metres, we felt a sense of achievement.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa great/fine/impressive achievement (=one that deserves to be admired)· Winning the award was a great achievement.a remarkable/extraordinary achievement (=one that is unusual or surprising and deserves praise)· In recognition of this remarkable achievement he was awarded the OBE.a major/important achievement· Writing the book was a major achievement.an outstanding achievement (=an extremely impressive achievement)· Eisenhower' s outstanding achievement was to avoid war.a considerable achievement (=one that has a large effect)· These studies represent a considerable achievement.somebody’s crowning/supreme achievement (=the best of several impressive achievements)· Her appointment to the Paris post was the crowning achievement of her life.verbssomething represents an achievement (=something is an achievement)· Few people realised what an enormous achievement Concorde represented.phrasesbe no mean achievement (=be difficult to achieve and therefore worth admiring)· He got the top mark in the country which is no mean achievement.be quite an achievement (=be an impressive achievement)· Working and bringing up kids on your own is quite an achievement.