attracted; attracting; attracts
: to cause to approach or adhere: such 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
The museum attracts visitors.
: to exercise attraction
Opposites attract.
Examples of attract in a Sentence
The company has a difficult time attracting good employees because of its poor pay and benefits.
The chance to travel around the world attracted me to a career as a flight attendant.
The museum attracts visitors from all over the world.
The scent will attract certain insects.
Certain insects are attracted by the scent.
Her bright blue eyes attracted me.
The bird's colorful feathers are used to attract a mate.
Recent Examples on the Web
The controversial idea to play a domestic league fixture overseas, pushed by La Liga president Javier Tebas to increase Spanish football’s revenues and exposure, attracted completely opposing reactions from the two sides of the Barca-Madrid divide.
—
Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
By the 1970s, Colma's western edge attracted car dealerships and later big box stores, a rail transit station and apartments.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
The elections in New Jersey and California are both attracting national attention and could impact the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans.
—Richard Hall, Time, 25 Oct. 2025
Native, night-blooming plants attract nighttime pollinators, a yummy snack for a hungry bat.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attract
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
By the 1970s, Colma's western edge attracted car dealerships and later big box stores, a rail transit station and apartments.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
The elections in New Jersey and California are both attracting national attention and could impact the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans.
—Richard Hall, Time, 25 Oct. 2025
Native, night-blooming plants attract nighttime pollinators, a yummy snack for a hungry bat.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attract
Cite this Entry
“Attract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attract. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
attract
verb
at·tract
ə-ˈtrakt 
1
: to pull to or toward oneself or itself
a magnet attracts iron
2
: to draw by appealing to interest or feeling
attract attention
Etymology
Middle English attracten "attract, cause to adhere," derived from Latin attrahere, literally "to draw near," from at-, ad- "to, toward" and trahere "to draw" — related to abstract, trace entry 1, trace entry 3
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share