acquire
Americanverb (used with object)
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acquires,
present (3rd person singular)
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acquired,
past participle, past
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acquiring
present participle
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to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own.
to acquire property.
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to gain for oneself through one's actions or efforts.
to acquire learning.
- Synonyms:
- appropriate, attain, earn, win
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Linguistics. to achieve native or nativelike command of (a language or a linguistic rule or element).
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Military. to locate and track (a moving target) with a detector, as radar.
verb
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.
Synonym Usage
See get.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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acquirabilitynoun
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acquirementnoun
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acquirernoun
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preacquireverb
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reacquireverb (used with object)
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acquirableadjective
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self-acquiredadjective
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unacquirableadjective
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unacquiredadjective
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well-acquiredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acquiresimple
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acquiressimple
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have acquiredperfect
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has acquiredperfect
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am acquiringprogressive
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are acquiringprogressive
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is acquiringprogressive
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have been acquiringperfect progressive
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has been acquiringperfect progressive
Past
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acquiredsimple
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had acquiredperfect
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was acquiringprogressive
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were acquiringprogressive
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had been acquiringperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
To acquire means to get or come to own something. You acquire an education by your own effort. You acquire a painting by paying for it or by someone giving it to you. You acquire a sense of calm in crisis through experience. The list of things you can acquire includes: an object, a trait, a skill, or an ability. An acquired taste is something that people usually don't like when they first experience it, but later they come to enjoy it, such as raw clams or marmite. The verb acquire was borrowed from Latin acquīrere "to add to," from the prefix ad- "at, toward" plus quaerere "to seek, get."
Vocabulary lists containing acquire
List 4
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Frindle
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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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.
See Examples For:
For “Drag Race” production designer Jen Chu, the ability to acquire raw materials in a short period of time is game-changing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Amazon.com founder, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, owns three properties on Indian Creek island and has spent about $234 million combined to acquire them, public records show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Charter agreed to acquire Cox in May 2025 in a $21.9 billion deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Private-equity firm Silver Lake is in talks to acquire Workday, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
At first, Ferris’s main worry was whether he could acquire enough steel to build his machine.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Goldman Sachs sees opportunity and acquires ETF company Neos.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
If Paramount Skydance acquires Warner Bros., production will likely shift to the Warner Bros. lot, with Paramount leased or sold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
He encounters dangerous people but also acquires friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The research expands on decades of work exploring how the brain acquires new abilities.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
When one person secretly acquires more food than the others have there is an inequality of food distribution in the community.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Walter’s group had acquired the stake only last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
In recent years, gas producers bought pipeline operators, while LNG exporters acquired gas fields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Dodgers acquired Skubal in an abundantly predictable bombshell trade with the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a trio of prospects, wanting to test the idiom that a ballclub can never have enough pitching.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The franchise will now hope to have acquired new fans and take momentum from their first on-field triumph, while they also pocket £275,000 in prize money.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
In July 1931, she acquired a new title: “Cryptanalyst in Charge.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Saudi Arabian Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad Al Saud bought 50% of Sheffield United in 2013, before acquiring the rest of the club in 2019.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Wellpointe has nine senior housing complexes in the San Fernando Valley, but it has had difficulty acquiring enough single-family homes in the area to significantly expand its presence, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Taiwan has been boosting defence spending for years and acquiring smaller and more nimble weaponry, including drones, to enable its military to wage asymmetric warfare against China.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Walter, 66, chief executive of Chicago investment firm Guggenheim Partners, led a group that included another Guggenheim executive and Magic Johnson in acquiring the Dodgers for $2.15 billion in 2012.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Grimy brick tenements shifted in the corner of my eye, acquiring decorative statues and rococo stuccowork—the adornments of a European city.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
