procure

[proh-kyoor, pruh-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR procure ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), pro·cured, pro·cur·ing.

to obtain or get by care, effort, or the use of special means: to procure evidence.

to bring about, especially by unscrupulous and indirect means: to procure secret documents.

to obtain (a person) for the purpose of prostitution.

verb (used without object), pro·cured, pro·cur·ing.

to act as a procurer or pimp.

Origin of procure

1250–1300; Middle English procuren < Latin prōcūrāre to take care of. See pro-¹, cure

Related formspro·cure·ment, nounself-pro·cured, adjectiveself-pro·cur·ing, adjectiveun·pro·cured, adjective

Can be confusedprocuration procurement

Synonyms for procure

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR procure ON THESAURUS.COM

1. gain, win. See get. 2. contrive. 4. pander, pimp.

Antonyms for procure

1. lose.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for procuring

gaining, acquiring, acquisition, addition, procurement

Examples from the Web for procuring

Contemporary Examples of procuring

Quality drugs and medical supplies are always in short supply and procuring them is a major source of corruption.
In Sierra Leone, the Plague Is Closing in Around Us
Ned Eustace
October 13, 2014

Historical Examples of procuring

He fell to them with only a perfunctory acknowledgment of my agency in procuring them.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
After breakfast he paid his bill, and, procuring his horse, prepared for departure.
The Night Riders
Ridgwell Cullum
Any little comforts you have had here have been of his procuring.
Gerald Fitzgerald
Charles James Lever
As for me, all my funds had been absorbed in procuring my outfit at Eddyville, in Iowa.
Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail
Ezra Meeker
He determined to find some way of procuring the title for himself.
The False Chevalier
William Douw Lighthall

British Dictionary definitions for procuring

procure

verb

(tr) to obtain or acquire; secure

to obtain (women or girls) to act as prostitutes

Derived Formsprocurable, adjectiveprocurance or procural, noun

Word Origin for procure

C13: from Latin prōcūrāre to look after, from pro- 1 + cūrāre to care for

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

Word Origin and History for procuring

procure

c.1300, "bring about, cause, effect," from Old French procurer "care for, be occupied with; bring about, cause; acquire, provide" (13c.) and directly from Late Latin procurare "manage, take care of;" from pro- "in behalf of" (see pro-) + curare "care for" (see cure (v.)). Main modern sense "obtain; recruit" (late 14c.) is via "take pains to get" (mid-14c.). Meaning "to obtain (women) for sexual gratification" is attested from c.1600. Related: Procured; procuring.