attract

attract — verb

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

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

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.

例句

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)

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • repel

    to drive people away; the opposite force

  • deter

    to discourage people from coming or doing something

文法句型

attract + noun (people/visitors/customers)

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.動詞及物B2
釋義

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.

例句

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)

同義詞
  • 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'

反義詞

文法句型

be attracted to + person

be attracted by + quality

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.動詞及物B2
釋義

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.

例句

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)

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • bore

    fail to hold interest at all

  • put off

    make someone lose interest

文法句型

be attracted by/to + idea/activity/thing

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.動詞及物B2
釋義

(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.

例句

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)

同義詞
  • pull

    everyday word; less technical than 'attract'

  • draw

    slightly literary; 'drawn toward the magnet'

反義詞
  • repel

    push away; the opposite force in physics

文法句型

[magnet/force] + attract + [object]

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.