acquire

[ uh-kwahyuh r ]

/ əˈkwaɪər /

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.

Nearby words

acquainted, acquest, acquiesce, acquiescence, acquiescent, acquire, acquired, acquired antibody, acquired behaviour, acquired character, acquired characteristic

Origin of acquire

1400–50; < 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 < Middle French aquerre < Latin

SYNONYMS FOR acquire

1 See get.

2 win, earn, attain; appropriate.

Related forms

ac·quir·a·ble, adjectiveac·quir·a·bil·i·ty, nounac·quir·er, nounpre·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, adjectiveun·ac·quir·a·ble, adjectiveun·ac·quired, adjectivewell-ac·quired, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for acquires

Facebook, in effect, already is selling the businesses it acquires to others.
Silicon Valley Thinks You’re a Fool|Daniel Gross|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wes acquires a hat, ring, heart stones, flowers, his baby blanket, a cloth angel, photographs.
Inside a Home Funeral|Melissa Roberts Weidman|February 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And there is no question that once he acquires it, history shifts immediately.
What Bibi Said In the Run-Up To Iraq|Ali Gharib|September 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
That imbalance will continue even if and when Iran acquires nuclear capability.
Iran Blusters but Israel Has the Edge|Bruce Riedel|September 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST

In his commentary, Hondros offered a wrenching assessment of war—and one that acquires a bitter poignancy following his death.
Libya War Photographers' Final Hours|David A. Graham|April 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Number is intellectual evidence belonging to man alone; by it he acquires knowledge of the Word.
The Works of Honor de Balzac|Honor de Balzac
It is in the course of actual service, and in no other way, that he acquires his professional fitness for commanding fleets.
Practical Essays|Alexander Bain
This name was used for the tail of the larval ray when it acquires median fin-folds.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)|David Starr Jordan
Should she toil on for ever, she cannot possess what she acquires, nor lay out the smallest part of it, without another's leave.
The College, the Market, and the Court|Caroline H. Dall
There it acquires a strong mouldy smell, which, indeed, goes off in some degree by exposure to the air.
Austria|Frederick Shoberl

British Dictionary definitions for acquires

acquire

/ (əˈkwaɪə) /

verb

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

Derived Forms

acquirable, adjectiveacquirement, nounacquirer, noun

Word Origin for acquire

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

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