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.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
amass, earn, buy, get, win, gain, have, collect, promote, achieve, take, cop, land, secure, annex, gather, procure, wangle, snag, access
Nearby words
- acquainted,
- acquest,
- acquiesce,
- acquiescence,
- acquiescent,
- 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
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for acquires
acquire
/ (əˈkwaɪə) /
verb
(tr) to get or gain (something, such as an object, trait, or ability), esp more or less permanently
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
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acquire
mid-15c., acqueren, from Old French aquerre "acquire, gain, earn, procure," from Vulgar Latin *acquaerere, from Latin acquirere "to seek in addition to" (see acquisition). Reborrowed in current form from Latin c.1600. Related: Acquired; acquiring.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper