Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To cause to draw near or adhere by physical force.
- intransitive verb To arouse or compel the interest, admiration, or attention of.
- intransitive verb To possess or use the power of attraction.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Attraction; in plural, attractive qualities; charms.
- To draw in, to, or toward by direct mechanical agency or action of any kind.
- To draw to or toward (itself) by inherent physical force; cause to gravitate toward or cohere with.
- To draw by other than physical influence; invite or allure; win: as, to
attract attention; to attract admirers. - Synonyms To entice, fascinate, charm.
- To possess or exert the power of attraction: as, it is a property of matter to attract.
- Figuratively, to be attractive or winning: as, his manners are calculated to attract.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To draw to, or cause to tend to; esp. to cause to approach, adhere, or combine; or to cause to resist divulsion, separation, or decomposition.
- transitive verb To draw by influence of a moral or emotional kind; to engage or fix, as the mind, attention, etc.; to invite or allure.
- noun obsolete Attraction.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To pull toward without touching
- verb To arouse
interest - verb To make someone feel sexually excited
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
- verb be attractive to
- verb exert a force on (a body) causing it to approach or prevent it from moving away
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Try to make your title attract a certain audience.
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By the way, how many Bostonians did Sarah Palin attract yesterday on the Boston Common?
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The nature of the opposition they attract is itself proof that con-cons can make a real difference.
J.H. Snider: A Historic Year for State Con-Cons J.H. Snider 2010
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If there are multiple trailers for one movie out in theaters, attached to different movies, the possible audience it can attract is broadened as opposed to just in one trailer's case.
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How communities are run and their priorities, how you live your life, what kinds of people you attract is the ultimate politics.
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Yet it must again attract it precisely as that of which it is conscious as itself, only in a different form [Gestalt].
'The Abyss of the Past': Psychoanalysis in Schelling's Ages of the World (1815) 2008
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Why plants would try to poison the honeybees they wish to attract is a scientific mystery.
April 1st, 2007 2007
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Diplomatically, the United States can use the combination of “hard” and “soft” assets that constitute its unique strength to show a face that will again attract the world.
Declaring Victory 2006
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Diplomatically, the United States can use the combination of “hard” and “soft” assets that constitute its unique strength to show a face that will again attract the world.
slideshow-test 2006
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Diplomatically, the United States can use the combination of “hard” and “soft” assets that constitute its unique strength to show a face that will again attract the world.
Declaring Victory 2006
hernesheir commented on the word attract
Railroad telegraphers' shorthand for "Show every attention". --US Railway Association, Standard Cipher Code, 1906.
January 20, 2013