acquire
- 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
Synonyms for acquire
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for acquiring
amass, earn, buy, get, win, gain, have, collect, promote, achieve, take, cop, land, secure, annex, gather, procure, wangle, snag, accessExamples from the Web for acquiring
Contemporary Examples of acquiring
The last federal position he held was Inmate--he served more than eight years for his inventive approach to acquiring money.
You spend three or more hours per day reading about, acquiring or preparing certain kinds of food you believe to be “pure.”
“Juan Carlos has always been slightly obsessed by acquiring money,” says one member of Madrid society.
Acquiring the first license and making the first sale Tuesday morning is crucial on several levels, he says.
At least the old elites learned to sail and row while acquiring proof of their right to rule.
Historical Examples of acquiring
But the perception of "how to do it" is precisely what most of us have been acquiring.
The Conquest of FearBasil King
The expectation of acquiring a competent fortune did not last long.
The Life of Horatio Lord NelsonRobert Southey
Gauss also devoted much of his time to acquiring the ancient and modern languages.
Heroes of the TelegraphJ. Munro
About every other method of acquiring the Christian experiences there is a "perhaps."
Pax VobiscumHenry Drummond
As a preliminary to acquiring it is he to be shut out from the society of his fellows?
Shelley, Godwin and Their CircleH. N. Brailsford
acquire
- (tr) to get or gain (something, such as an object, trait, or ability), esp more or less permanently
Word Origin for acquire
Word Origin and History for acquiring
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.