acquire

[ uh-kwahyuhr ]

See synonyms for acquire on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ac·quired, ac·quir·ing.

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.

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.

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

synonym study For acquire

1. See get.

Other words for acquire

2	win, earn, attain; appropriate

See synonyms for acquire on Thesaurus.com

Other words from acquire

ac·quir·a·ble, adjective
ac·quir·a·bil·i·ty, noun
ac·quir·er, noun
pre·ac·quire, verb, pre·ac·quired, pre·ac·quir·ing.
re·ac·quire, verb (used with object), re·ac·quired, re·ac·quir·ing.
self-ac·quired, adjective
un·ac·quir·a·ble, adjective
un·ac·quired, adjective
well-ac·quired, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use acquire in a sentence

Today, a lack of provenance often means one of two things: an artifact is forged or an artifact was illegally acquired.
Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts | Candida Moss | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He acquired $1 billion worth of art and tangled scandalously with the authorities.
The Mysterious Death of the Art World’s Favorite Sheikh | Lizzie Crocker | November 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Klein argued that Ed acquired his following by “an ancient ritual known as sexist jokes and lots of T&A.”
Canada’s Subversive Sock Puppet: Ed the Sock Isn’t Afraid to Say Anything | Soraya Roberts | November 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
U.S. officials have acquired more bling from overseas than Kanye West and Kim Kardashian had on their wedding registry.
Meditation Rugs, Swords, and Horse Head Fiddles: The Strangest Gifts Given to Government Bigwigs | Ben Jacobs | November 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The two U.S. entities, along with the RDIF, last year acquired a majority interest in a leading Russian tire maker, Voltyre-Prom.
Exclusive: Did This Manhattan Firm Help Shield a Russian Fund From Sanctions? | Bill Conroy | November 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

What he has done in any one species or distinct kind of writing would have been sufficient to have acquired him a great name.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
But the contrast thus presented is one that has acquired a new meaning in the age in which we live.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
Of course, newly acquired Ferns will pay for extra attention in the way of watering until they have secured a proper roothold.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
These additional languages can be acquired easily if they are learnt in the right way.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
He was a bookbinder previous to going upon the stage; and acquired a high degree of reputation as an actor.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for acquire

acquire

/ (əˈkwaɪə) /

verb

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

Origin of acquire

C15: via Old French from Latin acquīrere, from ad- in addition + quaerere to get, seek

Derived forms of acquire

acquirable, adjective
acquirement, noun
acquirer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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