B1 [ T ] (of people, things, places, etc.) to pull or draw someone or something towards them, by the qualities they have, especially good ones:
These flowers are brightly coloured in order to attract butterflies.
The government is trying to attract industry to the area (= to persuade people to place their industry there).
Her ideas have attracted a lot of attention/criticism in the scientific community.
B2 [ T usually passive ] If you are attracted by or to someone, you like them, often finding them sexually interesting:
I'm not physically/sexually attracted to him.
› specialized physics When something such as a magnet attracts something else, it pulls it towards it:
More examples
- The mud flats attract large numbers of birds.
- The hotel is making a major push to attract customers.
- This film is unlikely to attract large audiences.
- The project has attracted considerable criticism from the scientific community .
- With its varied climate, the country attracts both winter and summer sports enthusiasts.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
