acquire
verb (used with object)
to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own.
had been acquiring
-
past perfect progressiveof acquire.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
The university had been acquiring 19th- and 20th-century Peruvian coins from local dealers, and graduate students in the chemistry department were analyzing the pieces for their thesis work.
From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2024
For another, Vornado had been acquiring property around Penn Station with an eye toward transforming the area one day into a business, retail and entertainment mecca.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2023
They had been acquiring this in large amounts,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2020
Ford had been acquiring vintage boards since the late 1980s.
From Reuters ● Jan. 15, 2020
The "other crowd"—the Consolidated Pacific, presumably—had, as Davis now discovered, three-eighths actual certificates, in its pocket, had been acquiring them, on the quiet, while pretending to have lost interest.
From The Rise of Roscoe Paine by Joseph Crosby Lincoln
