From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
attract
v 1: direct toward itself or oneself by means of some
psychological power or physical attributes; "Her good
looks attract the stares of many men"; "The ad pulled in
many potential customers"; "This pianist pulls huge
crowds"; "The store owner was happy that the ad drew in
many new customers" [syn: pull, pull in, draw,
draw in] [ant: repel]
2: exert a force on (a body) causing it to approach or prevent
it from moving away; "the gravitational pull of a planet
attracts other bodies"
3: be attractive to; "The idea of a vacation appeals to me";
"The beautiful garden attracted many people" [syn:
appeal] [ant: repel]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Attract \At*tract"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attracted; p. pr. &
vb. n. Attracting.] [L. attractus, p. p. of attrahere; ad +
trahere to draw. See Trace, v. t.]
1. To draw to, or cause to tend to; esp. to cause to
approach, adhere, or combine; or to cause to resist
divulsion, separation, or decomposition.
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All bodies and all parts of bodies mutually attract
themselves and one another. --Derham.
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2. To draw by influence of a moral or emotional kind; to
engage or fix, as the mind, attention, etc.; to invite or
allure; as, to attract admirers.
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Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze. --Milton.
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Syn: To draw; allure; invite; entice; influence.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Attract \At*tract"\, n.
Attraction. [Obs.] --Hudibras.
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