First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
attract
verb at·tract \ə-ˈtrakt\
: to cause (someone) to choose to do or be involved in something
: to cause (someone) to like or be interested in something
: to cause (someone or something) to go to or move to or toward a place
Full Definition of ATTRACT
transitive verb
: to cause to approach or adhere: as a : to pull to or draw toward oneself or itself <a magnet attracts iron> b : to draw by appeal to natural or excited interest, emotion, or aesthetic sense : entice <attract attention>
intransitive verb
: to exercise attraction
— at·trac·tor \-ˈtrak-tər\ noun
See attract defined for English-language learners
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Origin of ATTRACT
Middle English, from Latin attractus, past participle of attrahere, from ad- + trahere to pull, draw
Synonym Discussion of ATTRACT
attract, allure, charm, captivate, fascinate, enchant mean to draw another by exerting a powerful influence. attract applies to any degree or kind of ability to exert influence over another <students attracted by the school's locale>. allure implies an enticing by what is fair, pleasing, or seductive <an alluring smile>. charm implies the power of casting a spell over the person or thing affected and so compelling a response <charmed by their hospitality>, but it may, like captivate, suggest no more than evoking delight or admiration <her performances captivated audiences>. fascinate suggests a magical influence and tends to stress the ineffectiveness of attempts to resist <a story that continues to fascinate children>. enchant is perhaps the strongest of these terms in stressing the appeal of the agent and the degree of delight evoked in the subject <hopelessly enchanted by her beauty>.
Rhymes with ATTRACT
abstract, class act, compact, contact, contract, crookbacked, detract, didact, diffract, distract, enact, entr'acte, epact, exact, extract, humpbacked, hunchbacked, impact, infract, intact, mossbacked, playact, protract, react, redact, refract, retract, sex act, subtract, swaybacked, transact, unbacked
ATTRACTS Defined for Kids
attract
verb at·tract \ə-ˈtrakt\
at·tract·edat·tract·ing
Definition of ATTRACT for Kids
1
: to draw by appealing to interest or feeling <I guess we must've been talking pretty loud, because…we attracted a crowd. — Jeff Kinney, Wimpy Kid>
2
: to draw to or toward something else <A magnet attracts iron.>
Word Root of ATTRACT
The Latin word tractus, meaning “pulled” or “dragged,” gives us the root tract. Words from the Latin tractus have to do with being pulled or dragged. To attract is to pull or draw towards you. To distract is to pull someone's attention away from something. To extract is to pull one thing out of another. To subtract is to pull a portion or number away from a group or from a whole.
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