acquire

American  

[uh-kwahyuhr] / əˈkwaɪər /

verb (used with object)

acquired, acquiring

1. to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own.

   to acquire property.

2. to gain for oneself through one's actions or efforts.

   to acquire learning.

   Synonyms:

   appropriate, attain, earn, win

3. Linguistics. to achieve native or nativelike command of (a language or a linguistic rule or element).

4. Military. to locate and track (a moving target) with a detector, as radar.

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acquire British  

/ əˈkwaɪə /

verb

1. (tr) to get or gain (something, such as an object, trait, or ability), esp more or less permanently

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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.

Related Words

See get.

Other Word Forms

• acquirability noun
• acquirable adjective
• acquirement noun
• acquirer noun
• preacquire verb
• reacquire verb (used with object)
• self-acquired adjective
• unacquirable adjective
• unacquired adjective
• well-acquired adjective

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

Example Sentences

That thinking is why Jackson, a financial-literacy educator, teaches his students to acquire strong financial habits today and plan financially backward from the future they envision for themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal

Following Reconstruction, Black people staged formal card games and cockfighting events, allowing participants to network while acquiring small but quick bursts of cash as economic opportunity languished.

From Salon

Botswana has perhaps been the most ardent in its ambition to acquire a controlling stake in the company that oversees the world trade in the stones on which its economy depends.

From Barron's

Under the pact, Australia is supposed to start acquiring its own Virginia-class submarines, which are nuclear powered, from the U.S. from the early 2030s.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I just said, like, ‘Look we don’t get a lot of opportunities to acquire a player like you, especially early in our program,’ and what better player to bring in early than Cooper Kupp.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• achieve
• amass
• bring in
• buy
• collect
• earn
• gain
• get
• have
• pick up
• promote
• take
• win