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Obtain vs Find - What's the difference?

obtain | find |

In transitive terms the difference between obtain and find

is that obtain is to get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way while find is to arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish.

In intransitive terms the difference between obtain and find

is that obtain is to exist or be the case; to hold true, be in force while find is to determine or judge.

As a noun find is

anything that is found (usually valuable), as objects on an archeological site or a person with talent.

obtain

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way.
  • * 1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , Luke XVIII:
  • And a certayne ruler axed him: sayinge: Goode Master: what ought I to do, to obtaine eternall lyfe?
  • * 1814 , (Jane Austen), (Mansfield Park) :
  • Julia was quite as eager for novelty and pleasure as Maria, though she might not have struggled through so much to obtain them, and could better bear a subordinate situation.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author=(Oliver Burkeman)
  • , volume=189, issue=2, page=48, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= The tao of tech , passage=But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention. Partly, this is a result of how online advertising has traditionally worked: advertisers pay for clicks, and a click is a click, however it's obtained .}}
  • (obsolete) To secure (that) a specific objective or state of affairs be reached.
  • * 1722 , (Daniel Defoe), (Colonel Jack) :
  • he was condemned to die for the felony, and being so well known for an old offender, had certainly died, but the merchant, upon his earnest application, had obtained that he should be transported, on condition that he restored all the rest of his bills, which he had done accordingly.
  • (obsolete) To prevail, be victorious; to succeed.
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , III.2:
  • “O daughter deare!” (said she) “despeire no whit; / For never sore but might a salve obtain [...].”
  • * 1701 , (Jonathan Swift), Contests and Dissentions in Athens and Rome :
  • This, though it failed at present, yet afterward obtained , and was a mighty step to the ruin of the commonwealth.
  • (obsolete) To hold; to keep, possess or occupy.
  • * 1671 , (John Milton), (Paradise Regained) , Book I:
  • His mother then is mortal, but his Sire / He who obtains the monarchy of Heav'n, / And what will he not do to advance his Son?
  • To exist or be the case; to hold true, be in force.
  • * 1908 , (Jack London), (The Iron Heel) , ,
  • Even though the Pervaise confession had never come to light, no reasonable doubt could obtain ; for the act in question was on a par with countless other acts committed by the oligarchs, and, before them, by the capitalists.
  • * 1992 , (Neal Stephenson), (Snow Crash) , Bantam Spectra, p. 460,
  • But the hostage situation no longer obtains , and so Uncle Enzo feels it important to stop Rife now,

    find

    English

    Verb

  • To encounter or discover by accident; to happen upon.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Searching the window for a flint, I found / This paper, thus sealed up.
  • * Cowley
  • In woods and forests thou art found .
  • To encounter or discover something being searched for; to locate.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2 , passage=I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.}}
  • * , chapter=10
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant.}}
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=January 25, author=Paul Fletcher, work=BBC
  • , title= Arsenal 3-0 Ipswich (agg. 3-1) , passage=Van Persie scored a hat-trick against Wigan on Saturday and should have found' the net again after Bendtner ' found him at the far post but the Dutchman's header rebounded to safety off the crossbar.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Welcome to the plastisphere , passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field. Dr Mincer and Dr Amaral-Zettler found evidence of them on their marine plastic, too.}}
  • To point out.
  • To decide that, to discover that, to form the opinion that.
  • * Shakespeare
  • I find you passing gentle.
  • * Cowley
  • The torrid zone is now found habitable.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
  • , chapter=1 citation , passage=“[…] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes
  • To determine or judge.
  • To arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish.
  • to find''' a verdict; to '''find a true bill (of indictment) against an accused person
  • * Shakespeare
  • to find his title with some shows of truth
  • To discover by study or experiment direct to an object or end.
  • Water is found to be a compound substance.
  • To gain, as the object of desire or effort.
  • to find''' leisure; to '''find means
  • To attain to; to arrive at; to acquire.
  • Looks like he found himself a new vehicle!
    After a long flight, I now find myself in San Francisco.
  • (archaic) To provide for; to supply; to furnish.
  • to find food for workmen
    He finds his nephew in money.
  • * London Times
  • Wages £14 and all found .
  • * Charles Dickens
  • Nothing a day and find yourself.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * lose

    Derived terms

    See also'' finding''' ''and'' ' found * find fault * find one's feet * find out

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Anything that is found (usually valuable), as objects on an archeological site or a person with talent.
  • The act of finding.
  • Synonyms

    * (anything found) discovery, catch

    Statistics

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