# attract

Pronunciation: US say "uh-TRAKT" /əˈtɹækt/; UK

## Verb

1. To draw someone's interest, attention, or desire through emotional, moral, or other personal appeal; to invite or allure.
   - Simple: To make someone interested in you or in something, or to make people want to come closer.
   - _Museums attract visitors who want more than a quick photo stop._
   - _Her quiet confidence attracted admirers wherever she went._
2. To exert a pull on something, drawing it closer without physical contact.
   - Simple: To pull something closer without touching it.
   - _Opposite magnetic poles attract each other across a small gap._
   - _A charged balloon attracts small bits of paper from across the table._
3. To incur; to bring something, such as a charge, penalty, or criticism, upon oneself.
   - Simple: To make something, often something bad, come to you because of what you do.
   - _Late payments attract interest at two percent per month._
   - _The senator's remarks attracted widespread criticism from both parties._

## Origin

From Latin attractus, the past participle of attrahere ("to draw to, attract"), formed from ad ("to") plus trahere ("to draw").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/attract (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).