attract

attract — verb

1. to make people, animals, or businesses come to a place or join an activity, usua

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to make people, animals, or businesses come to a place or join an activity, usually because that place or activity offers something good — for example, a beach with clear water bringing tourists, or a job fair drawing students.

Example

The night market in Taipei attracts thousands of visitors every weekend.

attract + plural noun (visitors / tourists / crowds)

Nikolai's bakery uses free samples to attract new customers on Saturday mornings.

attract + customers (business context)

Common collocations
  • attract visitors
  • attract customers
  • attract tourists
  • attract investment
  • attract crowds
Synonyms
  • draw

    near-synonym; 'draw a crowd' is common but slightly less formal

  • pull in

    informal; mostly about audiences or customers

  • lure

    stronger; suggests using something tempting, sometimes with a hint of trickery

Antonyms
  • repel

    to drive people away; the opposite force

  • deter

    to discourage people from coming or doing something

Grammar Patterns

attract + noun (people/visitors/customers)

Usage Note

Subject is usually a place, event, business, or quality (not the person being drawn). Often used with quantifiers: 'thousands of', 'many', 'more'. Distinguish from sense 4 (a magnet pulling iron) — here the pull is social or commercial, not physical force.

Common Mistakes

The festival attracted to many tourists.
The festival attracted many tourists.
'attract' is followed directly by the object; no preposition.
I want to attract in your shop.
I want to attract customers to your shop.
you attract people to a place, not the place itself.

2. to make someone feel romantic or sexual interest — for example, when one person

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to make someone feel romantic or sexual interest — for example, when one person notices another across a room and wants to get to know them better.

Example

Beatriz was attracted to Yara the first time she laughed at her joke.

passive: be attracted to + person

I think Daniel is attracted to his coworker, but he is too shy to say anything.

be attracted to + person (romantic)

Common collocations
  • attracted to him
  • attracted to her
  • physically attracted
  • strongly attracted
  • sexually attracted
Synonyms
  • fancy

    British informal; 'I fancy him'

  • be drawn to

    softer; can be romantic or just deeply interested

  • be into

    very informal; 'she's really into him'

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be attracted to + person

be attracted by + quality

Usage Note

Almost always passive: 'be attracted to/by'. Use 'to' before the person and 'by' before the quality that causes the feeling. Distinguish from sense 3, where the object is a thing or activity, not a person in a romantic sense.

Common Mistakes

He attracts to her.
He is attracted to her.
this sense is normally passive; the active form sounds wrong here.
She is attracted with him.
She is attracted to him.
the preposition for a person is 'to', not 'with'.

3. to make someone find an idea, job, hobby, or thing interesting enough to want it

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to make someone find an idea, job, hobby, or thing interesting enough to want it or try it — for example, a quiet village appealing to a city worker, or a science class making a child curious.

Example

Priya was attracted by the chance to work outdoors and travel for free.

be attracted by + opportunity

What first attracted me to teaching was the chance to help quiet children speak up.

what attracted X to + activity (cleft pattern)

Common collocations
  • attracted by the idea
  • attracted to the job
  • what attracted me
  • particularly attracted
Synonyms
  • appeal to

    very common alternative; 'the idea appeals to me'

  • interest

    milder; less emotional pull

  • tempt

    implies something hard to resist, sometimes against better judgement

Antonyms
  • bore

    fail to hold interest at all

  • put off

    make someone lose interest

Grammar Patterns

be attracted by/to + idea/activity/thing

Usage Note

Object is a thing, idea, or activity (not a person in a romantic sense — that is sense 2). Often appears in the cleft pattern 'What attracted me to X was…' when explaining a choice. The active form is normal here, unlike sense 2.

Common Mistakes

I am attracting by this job.
I am attracted by this job.
use the past participle in the passive, not the -ing form.
The plan attracted to many people.
The plan attracted many people.
when the subject is the thing and the object is a person, no preposition.

4. (of a magnet, gravity, or similar force) to make an object move or stay close, b

4.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

(of a magnet, gravity, or similar force) to make an object move or stay close, by pulling it through a physical force — for example, a fridge magnet holding a paper note in place.

Example

A strong magnet will attract iron nails from across the table.

[magnet] + attract + [metal object]

Gravity attracts every object on Earth toward the centre of the planet.

gravity + attract + object (physics register)

Common collocations
  • magnet attracts
  • attract iron
  • attract metal
  • attracted toward
Synonyms
  • pull

    everyday word; less technical than 'attract'

  • draw

    slightly literary; 'drawn toward the magnet'

Antonyms
  • repel

    push away; the opposite force in physics

Grammar Patterns

[magnet/force] + attract + [object]

Usage Note

Subject is a physical force (magnet, gravity, static charge), not a person or place. Common in school science contexts. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is social or commercial pull on people; this sense is physical pull on objects.

Common Mistakes

The magnet attracts to the metal.
The magnet attracts the metal.
no 'to' between the verb and its object.
Wood is attracted by a magnet.
Iron is attracted by a magnet.
only certain metals can be attracted; check the science before writing.
Idioms

opposites attract

idiom

a saying used when people who seem very different from each other end up liking each other or working well together.

Nikolai is loud and Daniel is quiet, but they have been close friends for years — opposites attract.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe making people come or feel interested, but they differ in tone and intent. 'Attract' is the most neutral and the most common in business or tourism contexts: a city attracts visitors, a job ad attracts applicants. 'Draw' is similar but slightly more literary, often used with crowds and audiences: the concert drew thousands of fans. 'Lure' carries a stronger sense of using something tempting, and sometimes hints at tricking someone or pulling them away from where they should be: companies lured workers with bigger paychecks. 'Appeal to' shifts the focus to the inner reaction — what someone finds interesting — rather than the physical act of coming somewhere: this design appeals to younger buyers. Quick test: if you can replace the verb with 'pull in', it is probably 'attract' or 'draw'; if it feels like a private decision, use 'appeal to'.

attract ↗drawlure ↗appeal to

Common collocations

Nouns

  • attract attention
  • attract interest
  • attract investment
  • attract criticism
  • attract visitors
  • attract customers

Adverbs

  • strongly attract
  • particularly attract
  • naturally attract
  • instantly attract

Phrases

  • attract worldwide attention
  • fail to attract
  • designed to attract
  • what attracted me to X

Prepositions

  • attracted to (a person/thing)
  • attracted by (a quality/feature)
  • attract toward

Etymology

LatinMiddle FrenchEnglish

'Attract' came into English in the 15th century from Latin 'attrahere', meaning 'to draw toward', formed from 'ad-' ('to, toward') and 'trahere' ('to pull or drag'). The same Latin root 'trahere' gives English several related words about pulling or drawing, including 'tractor', 'extract', and 'distract'. The earliest English uses described physical pulling, like a magnet drawing iron; the social meanings about drawing crowds, romantic feelings, or interest grew later as the word was used in everyday speech.