acquire
Americanverb (used with object)
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to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own.
to acquire property.
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to gain for oneself through one's actions or efforts.
to acquire learning.
- Synonyms:
- appropriate, attain, earn, win
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Linguistics. to achieve native or nativelike command of (a language or a linguistic rule or element).
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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
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acquirabilitynoun
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acquirementnoun
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acquirernoun
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preacquireverb
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reacquireverb (used with object)
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acquirableadjective
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self-acquiredadjective
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unacquirableadjective
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unacquiredadjective
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well-acquiredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acquiresimple
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acquiressimple
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have acquiredperfect
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has acquiredperfect
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am acquiringprogressive
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are acquiringprogressive
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is acquiringprogressive
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have been acquiringperfect progressive
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has been acquiringperfect progressive
Past
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acquiredsimple
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had acquiredperfect
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was acquiringprogressive
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were acquiringprogressive
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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
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Frindle
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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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:
A group of private-equity firms including BayPine and TSG Consumer Partners won an auction in 2021 to acquire Mavis in a deal that valued the auto-service chain at around $6 billion, including debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The prophecy states that they’ll acquire the powers of “Break” – to dismantle or undo something – and “Seal” to contain, reconstruct or suppress something.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
The nonprofit Fred Brown Recovery Services was seeking to acquire the five-acre property and turn it into a 106-bed inpatient recovery center for “veterans, the justice-involved, the unhoused, and those with co-occurring conditions.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Other sensitive topics are what role it determines carbon capture technology can play in businesses or whether they can acquire carbon credits from programmes outside the EU that would be counted towards their emissions reductions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
The other means involved European-introduced germs to which Aborigines had had no opportunity to acquire immunity or to evolve genetic resistance.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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
The statement also said the studio and distribution market has “extensive” competition that would probably continue even after Paramount acquires Warner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
And yet invisibility makes that power easier to expand because citizens stop feeling the intrusion even while the state acquires increasingly intimate access to ordinary life.
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
When a culture grows big enough, it acquires an elite, which needs to monitor things it considers important: money, stored goods, births and deaths, the progression of time.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Often, they acquired their stakes early on, well before their companies went public.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The Lakers also acquired guard Jaden Hardy in a trade with the Washington Wizards, added rookie guard Cameron Carr and signed free agents Kevon Looney and Ziaire Williams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Legend "says that the marambas acquired atas when they arrived in Sumba".
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Combs’ Miami real estate holdings are made up of two neighboring Star Island properties that he acquired nearly two decades apart.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
In July 1931, she acquired a new title: “Cryptanalyst in Charge.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
The Dodgers added bullpen depth with upside, acquiring right-hander Seth Halvorsen from Colorado.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
In addition to his private residence, Blackstock also invested heavily in local business, acquiring a livestock auction business in the area in 2023.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
American companies are acquiring producers outside the U.S. or inking deals to buy their materials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The reports also said Paris had considered acquiring the software.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
“In that case”—Mother sighed—“kindly refrain from acquiring any more houses for the time being, my little landlord.”
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
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.
