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

ICE said it plans to spend $38.3 billion on a new detention model that includes acquiring warehouses and converting them into detention centers, according to a government memo, effectively creating a new commercial-real-estate asset class.

From The Wall Street Journal

Discovery out from under Netflix, which had an agreed deal in place since early December to acquire that company’s streaming and studio operations.

From MarketWatch

Like many chronic afflictions, Mets fandom can be hereditary or acquired.

From The Wall Street Journal

So what are the capabilities that currently only the US has and that Europe will need to acquire in the pursuit of Merz's "operational independence"?

From BBC

It’s “an old-fashioned land grab,” Bob Fryklund, S&P Global’s chief upstream energy strategist, said of the industry’s rush to acquire new acreage.

From Barron's

Related Words

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