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:
Choudri says the authority still needs to acquire some land for the Merced and Bakersfield extensions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Contrary to popular belief the actor did not acquire the name "Ogogo" from a part he played in a film.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
In 2024, EverBank agreed to acquire Sterling Bank & Trust for $261 million, gaining 25 branches in California, and one in Queens, N.Y.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
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
At Rockfish Gap there is a tollbooth manned by rangers where motorists have to pay an entrance fee and thru-hikers have to acquire a backcountry hiking permit.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Goldman Sachs sees opportunity and acquires ETF company Neos.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 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
The organization acquires medical debt in bulk from hospitals, physician groups, collection agencies and other groups for a fraction of the cost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
I say, therefore, that in completely new principalities, where there is a new prince, greater or lesser difficulty in maintaining them exists according to the greater or lesser virtue of the person who acquires them.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
In 2021, Raley’s acquired the Bashas’ Family of Stores, increasing its footprint in Arizona and New Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The Padres acquired Robbie Ray and Casey Mize at the trade deadline to bolster a patchwork rotation, and they retained Miller and Adrian Morejon rather than break up a mighty bullpen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Dick’s acquired Foot Locker last fall when the shoe seller was dealing with excess inventory and declining sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Foot Locker, which Dick’s acquired in September 2025, had a harder time of it, given its greater exposure to legacy sneaker brands and its greater dependency on launch and retro products.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
If it were up to her, they wouldn’t have acquired it, but it had won all these awards on the film festival circuit, and its absence would have been noticed.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
In May 2025, a consortium led by US businessman Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises completed a takeover of Rangers after acquiring a controlling 51% stake in the Scottish Premiership club.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 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
One result: Private-equity firms have been acquiring physician groups and outpatient facilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The sole Native Americans able to resist European conquest for many centuries were those tribes that reduced the military disparity by acquiring and mastering both horses and guns.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
