acquire
Americanverb (used with object)
-
acquires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
acquired,
past participle, past
-
acquiring
present participle
-
to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own.
to acquire property.
-
to gain for oneself through one's actions or efforts.
to acquire learning.
- Synonyms:
- appropriate, attain, earn, win
-
Linguistics. to achieve native or nativelike command of (a language or a linguistic rule or element).
-
Military. to locate and track (a moving target) with a detector, as radar.
verb
Usage
What does acquire mean? Acquire most commonly means to get, buy, or learn. Acquire has a lot of meanings that vary with context. Most of them refer to the act of getting something permanently. It has more specific meanings in linguistics and in the context of the military. It’s easy to misspell acquire as aquire, so don’t forget the c. Example: When the merger is complete, our company will have acquired its largest competitor.
Synonym Usage
See get.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
acquirabilitynoun
-
acquirementnoun
-
acquirernoun
-
preacquireverb
-
reacquireverb (used with object)
-
acquirableadjective
-
self-acquiredadjective
-
unacquirableadjective
-
unacquiredadjective
-
well-acquiredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
acquiresimple
-
acquiressimple
-
have acquiredperfect
-
has acquiredperfect
-
am acquiringprogressive
-
are acquiringprogressive
-
is acquiringprogressive
-
have been acquiringperfect progressive
-
has been acquiringperfect progressive
Past
-
acquiredsimple
-
had acquiredperfect
-
was acquiringprogressive
-
were acquiringprogressive
-
had been acquiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of acquire
First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin acquīrere “to add to one's possessions, acquire” ( ac- ac- + -quīrere, combining form of quaerere “to search for, obtain”); replacing late Middle English aquere, from Middle French aquerre, from Latin, as above
Explanation
To acquire means to get or come to own something. You acquire an education by your own effort. You acquire a painting by paying for it or by someone giving it to you. You acquire a sense of calm in crisis through experience. The list of things you can acquire includes: an object, a trait, a skill, or an ability. An acquired taste is something that people usually don't like when they first experience it, but later they come to enjoy it, such as raw clams or marmite. The verb acquire was borrowed from Latin acquīrere "to add to," from the prefix ad- "at, toward" plus quaerere "to seek, get."
Vocabulary lists containing acquire
List 4
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Frindle
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Boy: Tales of Childhood
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The company attributed the decline to customer-friendly sport outcomes and increased investment in promotions to acquire customers for its sportsbook and predictions offerings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
RWE said it will instead invest $900 million to acquire an indirect 16% stake in a liquefied natural gas terminal in Louisiana and $300 million to support the development of natural gas turbines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“I anticipate us to be able to acquire quite a few of their customers,” SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell said on Tuesday’s earnings call.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
The lender plans to acquire the remaining 30.95% stake in Maybank Ageas from Belgian insurer Ageas for 4.83 billion ringgit, taking full ownership of Etiqa’s operations in Malaysia and Singapore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
At first, Ferris’s main worry was whether he could acquire enough steel to build his machine.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Milan-based Bending Spoons, which went public recently on the Nasdaq, is a conglomerate that acquires and revamps tech businesses, such as AOL, Evernote and Vimeo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The research expands on decades of work exploring how the brain acquires new abilities.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
The organization acquires medical debt in bulk from hospitals, physician groups, collection agencies and other groups for a fraction of the cost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Chevron expects to make a final investment decision on building a gas-fired power plant for the project after it acquires necessary permits later this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
When one person secretly acquires more food than the others have there is an inequality of food distribution in the community.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
However, since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took charge in 2022 Chelsea have acquired Strasbourg, adding to the growing number of multi-club ownership models across Europe.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Vaccines, masking, improved indoor air quality and acquired immunity have all kept the virus at bay so that morgue trucks no longer fill the streets.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Morningstar, which has acquired the Center for Research in Securities Prices, won’t adjust a company’s float “until at least” the end of the lockup period.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
Rhode, which e.l.f. acquired for $1 billion a year ago, contributed about $160 million in sales in the quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
We had acquired, at some time, a friend of Bill's from Biarritz.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
Expedia Group called out tech and emerging AI channels in its quest for efficiency, while Trivago is cashing in on past brand investments to bring down the cost of acquiring customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
I am now carrying a gorgeous straw tote and wearing linen that has somehow survived public transit without acquiring a wrinkle.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
He did, however, mention the Dodgers’ lack of an acute need before acquiring Skubal too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was interested in acquiring the England midfielder's services in a potential £32m move, with Gerrard refusing to sign a new contract.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Hublin says, “We are always acquiring, yes? All across the world, industrialization endangers mineral deposits. We collect as many types of minerals as exist. To a curator, none is superior to any other.”
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
