acquire

American

[uh-kwahyuhr] / əˈkwaɪər /

verb (used with object)

acquired, acquiring

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.

Synonyms:

appropriate, attain, earn, win
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.

acquire British

/ əˈkwaɪə /

verb

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

"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

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.

Related Words

See get.

Other Word Forms

acquirability noun
acquirable adjective
acquirement noun
acquirer noun
preacquire verb
reacquire verb (used with object)
self-acquired adjective
unacquirable adjective
unacquired adjective
well-acquired adjective

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

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.

Botswana has perhaps been the most ardent in its ambition to acquire a controlling stake in the company that oversees the world trade in the stones on which its economy depends.

From Barron's

Under the pact, Australia is supposed to start acquiring its own Virginia-class submarines, which are nuclear powered, from the U.S. from the early 2030s.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I just said, like, ‘Look we don’t get a lot of opportunities to acquire a player like you, especially early in our program,’ and what better player to bring in early than Cooper Kupp.”

From Los Angeles Times

Across the landing, the Yellow Room also boasts expensive furnishings, especially the bed, which is covered in bright yellow damask, re-creating a bed Washington acquired in 1758.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ben previously reported on M&A and finance in WSJ's New York office, writing about deals including Union Pacific's nearly $72 billion agreement to acquire Norfolk Southern and the bidding war over Warner Bros.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023