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Synonyms

acquire

American

[uh-kwahyuhr] / əˈkwaɪər /

verb (used with object)

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.

Synonym Usage

See get.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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."

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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.

Roberts beat out Disney to acquire U.K. pay-TV provider Sky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

“This estate offers a lifestyle that requires no exit. A rare opportunity to acquire a pedigreed property defined by absolute privacy and timeless design,” the listing added.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

Amazon recently agreed to acquire Globalstar for nearly $12 billion, including licenses for around 25 megahertz of satellite spectrum.

From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026

Zymeworks will acquire Theravance Biopharma for approximately $929 million, paying $17 a share in cash.

From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026

“Maybe I will acquire a taste for ruling,” he says coolly.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

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