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attract

[uh-trakt]

verb (used with object)

to draw by a physical force causing or tending to cause to approach, adhere, or unite; pull (opposed to repel): The gravitational force of the earth attracts smaller bodies to it.

to draw by appealing to the emotions or senses, by stimulating interest, or by exciting admiration; allure; invite: to attract attention; to attract admirers by one's charm.

verb (used without object)

to possess or exert the power of attraction.

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Attract is one of our favorite verbs.

So is kibitz. Does it mean:

chat, to converse

to flee; abscond:

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Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin attractus drawn to (past participle of attrahere), equivalent to at- at- + trac- (variant stem of trahere to draw) + -tus past participle suffix

Related forms

at·tract·a·ble, adjective

at·tract·a·ble·ness, noun

at·tract·ing·ly, adverb

at·trac·tor, at·tract·er, noun

re·at·tract, verb (used with object)

EXPAND

un·at·tract·a·ble, adjective

un·at·tract·ed, adjective

un·at·tract·ing, adjective

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To attract

Example Sentences

Jedlicka set out to study whether installing the nest boxes would help attract the birds and reduce pests.

Colleges work to attract and support women in technology majors.

Short-term schemes attract a different set from the besuited folk who hire cars by the day.

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Jedlicka set out to study whether installing the nest boxes would help attract the birds and reduce pests.

Colleges work to attract and support women in technology majors.

Short-term schemes attract a different set from the besuited folk who hire cars by the day.

New research shows that tiny female parasitic wasps are able to change the smell of the plants they live in to attract a mate.

Venus flytraps secrete sweet-smelling nectar on their leaves to attract prey.

The female is allowed to go free to attract other males.

Bird feeders will attract avian visitors to your garden, for sure.

He has published on low-tech ways to attract bedbugs with carbon dioxide.

Canada's efforts to attract more foreign students to degree programs at its universities are failing.

Britons will get a better education, and it will attract more foreign students too-who can help pay for more.

Woodpeckers also drum to attract mates and to announce the boundaries of their territories.

Other scents can attract pollinators such as bees to help with reproduction.

They donned tree costumes to attract attention to their cause and crawled into tree platforms to disrupt logging.

We fill the garden with drought-tolerant plants that attract birds and bees.

It used to be that a man carrying a bag would attract a certain kind of attention.

The new university will receive foundation support and is expected to attract financing from private companies as well.

Now the government is trying to attract them back, and to encourage younger talent to consider a scientific career.

All the rage at raves, light sticks are also used by commercial fishers to attract fish.

It could be probably a ploy to attract the attention of the public.

Amalfi tends to attract people interested more in scenic beauty than excitement.

Attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden.

And forget about trying to attract attention through gimmicky multicolored onscreen eyeballs that blink when you click them.

We seek an individual with an outstanding research and publication record to attract graduate students and research funding.

The delicate flowers attract pollinators, mostly honeybees, to visit and collect nectar and pollen.

Peace and plentiful land attract refugees from troubled neighboring countries.

Minute flicks of the eyes called microsaccades can reveal objects that attract our attention.

Female fiddlers lack the the larger claw that males use to fight and attract the ladies.

Attract attention to a garden area by adding a spot of color.

Turntablefm is one of a number of music-streaming services to attract a following in recent years.

Killings involving guns always attract public interest, but they rarely lead to policy overhauls.

It takes money to attract the best professors, and the best students follow them.

It may seem hard to believe, but male proboscis monkeys use their fleshy, pendulous noses to attract mates.

The gravitational pull of these white dwarfs can attract nearby asteroids that then get pulverized.

They think that it will attract touristsRidicoulus.

Most lavenders dry beautifully for bouquets and attract bees and butterflies.

Researchers think the fireworks are intended to attract something even larger and fiercer.

American universities may still lead the world when it comes to the sheer number of students they attract.

But higher interest rates would attract yet more capital inflows.

To attract insect pollinators, flowers offer a nutritious reward of nectar and pollen.

Better tools, higher pay and greater support are necessary to attract and retain the best teachers.

The idea is clearly to attract tourists, and location matters.

And if such radiance isn't enough to attract your attention and lift your spirits, then its convenience should.

But faculty is difficult to attract and keep with monstrous salaries being offered by private companies.

Cities with established public transport solutions, by contrast, would attract punitive per-mile rates.

Males who are aggressive to other males may attract females.

Marigolds and sunflowers are good choices as they are relatively easy to grow organically and tend to attract lots of bees.

Hunger and mating season are two strong, natural reasons that attract them to each other in the first place.

The long tubular flowers attract a variety of pollinators.

Participants honk their car horns or flash their headlights to attract each others' attention.

But he must also worry that the government's attempts to attract more graduates to teaching have not yet paid off.

The prairie-chicken performs a dance to attract a mate.

Attempts to manage them have relied in part on pheromones that attract the animals.

If your flakes contain enough iron, the magnet will attract them.

Clusters of bright orange flowers attract swarms of butterflies.

They can attract good teachers because it is so clear that they attract good parents.

Then have students brainstorm some things in their community that might attract people.

Most of them are boring and attract no attention from journalists.

And the theatres and art gallery attract folks who come for shopping, dinner and a show all year long.

Confusing laws and state meddling have thwarted efforts to privatise industry and attract foreign investment.

Have the students imagine what a local ruler in their port might do to attract traders.

Because bugs who flash too fast tend to attract more than the light-of-their-lives.

The new mayors will be able to knock heads together, and their ability to attract media attention will help to foster civic pride.

Males may use their feathers to attract harems of several hens.

They attract predatory fireflies looking for a snack.

To attract buyers, cajas are likely to go at a discount to listed peers.

Have students discuss what a ruler might do to attract people to his kingdom and what might entice them to stay there.

Male bowerbirds build elaborate shelters to try to attract a female.

The programme may indeed attract new companies one day.

Learn how these clever flowers attract birds and insects.

So, as a beam of photons travels for decades thru space the photons attract each other.

Faster, more reliable trains will attract riders and drive investment.

Explain that this is one way fish and other animals attract food.

Seems to neither consistently attract nor repel them.

Brazilians fret, reasonably, that faster rate rises will attract even more foreign capital.

The males display their feathery headdresses to attract a mate.

Superconductivity is one of the phenomena that attract people to study physics in breathless awe.

So male chameleons can attract a mate or defend their territory by flashing bright colors to each other.

Suer imagines traps baited with these feet bacteria to attract mosquitoes and catch them before they can bite.

Conservationists routinely use charismatic predators as poster animals to attract support for environmental-protection campaigns.

Ochroma manages to attract its clientele through a simple trick of timing.

The flowers produce copious nectar and attract bees, hence the common name.

Food scrap odors from a compost bin attract scavengers.

The fish get their name from the brilliant flashes of color the males use to attract females to mate.

Libraries across the country host literary speed-dating events in an effort to attract young professionals.

The growing field of digital epidemiology will attract more students, health officials and resources than ever before.

Oil and gas attract more criminals than tourism or agriculture.

Some snails excrete bioluminescent trails of snot or blink their muscly foot to attract mates.

Yoga retreats with chores attract the weary and unemployed.

First, you are currently a nasty pixilated teaser used to attract buyers before.

The paper will begin a new section to try to raise circulation and attract high-end advertisers.

Colleges turn to commercial marketing techniques to enhance their images, attract better students, and raise.

Explain to students the recent phenomenon of edge cities that attract economic activities away from downtown areas.

Berry-laden shrubs and trees decorate the landscape, and attract birds, well into winter.

Officials are trying to use the clean air, open space and connection to the earth to attract businesses.

Cambodia has a lot of fertile land and wants to attract foreign capital.

The study's secret weapon is a trick borrowed from old-time trappers, who hung mirrors from tree branches to attract lynx.

They could also make the surfaces attract or repel oil.

It also prohibits supermarkets and grocery stores from placing alcohol products for sale near goods that attract children.

To attract females, blue-footed booby males have to know how to use their feet.

Apple was able to attract cool dads and their college student kids with this single statement.

Besides increasing numbers, it needs to attract more officers from minority.

The spinoffs were never able to attract enough students to justify the millions of dollars invested in them.

One result might be that companies with reliable track records will attract a valuation premium.

Some even use pigments that reflect it to attract mates and communicate.

H pylori creates problems, because it naturally releases chemicals that attract cells that induce stomach irritation.

Many of their flowers attract butterflies or hummingbirds? or both.

Nonstandard academic calendars help some colleges attract working adults as well as maximize their use of federal money.

And for the first time emerging economies will attract more than half of the global total.

It can create a positive or negative charge that can either attract or repel other objects.

It's the kind of rare find that's spectacular enough to attract national attention.

The rally was designed to attract attention for the coalition's primary goal, which is to avert potential censorship laws.

They are finding that advertised positions at little-known colleges attract.

But one of the properties that makes nylon a poor choice of fabric for a shirt, namely its ability to attract and.

Men need to know how to attract women and keep them attracted and satisfied if they want a happy relationship.

I've kept the yard wild for their benefit and to attract other creatures as well.

Small pink flowers appear in spring, followed by little red fruits that attract birds.

The theory goes that women will attract men into the world, while the reverse is not true.

In addition to being targets for lawful protests, college chiefs attract visits from angry or disturbed individuals.

Such high prices attract imports from overseas, and encourage overproduction and underconsumption at home.

Gardening clubs might attract upwardly mobile professionals who would rather spend their commute time growing their meals.

The hope is that the hyperlocal content will attract local advertisers who can spend less to reach out to their target audience.

Position yourself as a leader on the issue of diversity and attract a wide range of top candidates all year long.

The natural surroundings attract as many people as the low prices and warm weather.

Actual fact is matter and antimatter attract each other.

On a materialistic side this can attract tourist and generate income too.

Now the company, in an attempt to attract more professors wanting to experiment with this ultra-unorthodox teaching.

One major aspect is how to attract the best faculty and students.

But now they are looking distinctly wobbly they have started to attract attention.

It only provides a limited monopoly to their invention so as to attract investment.

Role-playing games attract people with strong imaginations and the ability to evolve a fantasy over a long period of time.

Femen's goal is to attract attention-and they have certainly done that.

Male birds of paradise use their amazing feathers to attract mates.

Desert was too far by road to attract more than those tourists who had a family connection to the area.

The study suggests that educators must change the way that they teach to attract girls to technology at an early age.

They have managed to attract some of the best brains in business:.

On the other hand, such lines do attract dense populations.

Desjardin suspects that luminescence might attract nocturnal animals, which would then help the mushrooms spread their spores.

As national league seasons open across a continent that still manages to attract the world's top talent, eyes are turning.

These extreme arguments alienate more of the general public than they attract.

By contrast, children being brought up by their grandparents rarely attract public interest.

Simply building amenities is not enough to attract young professionals if there aren't jobs.

In the extraordinarily benign climate of the past five years, countries have found it easy to attract such financing.

In the cold and dark depths of the seas, some fish attract their prey with bioluminescent lures.

Renewable energy projects can still attract investors and funding.

All the preceding touches help attract garden-friendly local species.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

attract (əˈtrækt)

—vb
1.	to draw (notice, a crowd of observers, etc) to oneself by conspicuous behaviour or appearance (esp in the phrase attract attention)
2.	(also intr) to exert a force on (a body) that tends to cause an approach or oppose a separation: the gravitational pull of the earth attracts objects to it
3.	to possess some property that pulls or draws (something) towards itself: jam attracts wasps
4.	(also intr) to exert a pleasing, alluring, or fascinating influence (upon); be attractive (to)

[C15: from Latin attrahere to draw towards, from trahere to pull]

at'tractable

—*adj*

at'tractor

—n

at'tracter

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

attract

1530s, from L. attractus, pp. of attrahere "to draw, to attract," from ad- "to" + trahere "draw" (see tract (1)). Originally a medical term for the body's tendency to absorb fluids, nourishment, etc., or for a poultice treatment to "draw out" diseased matter (1560s). Of the

EXPAND

ability of people or animals to draw others to them, it is attested from 1560s; of physical forces (magnetism, etc.), from c.1600 (implied in attraction).

COLLAPSE

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