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
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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:
Among other moves, the company is renewing its push to scour the ocean depths for oil while looking to acquire new fields to drill and use new technology to wring more crude from the earth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The company is paying $65 per share in cash and stock to acquire Instacart, which represents a 26% premium to Instacart’s closing stock prior to the first media reports of the planned acquisition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
In May, Cohere announced a deal to acquire German AI firm Aleph Alpha, creating a combined entity with dual headquarters in Toronto and Berlin, in a deal backed by Ottawa and Berlin.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
DoorDash’s official announcement on Thursday that it plans to acquire Instacart isn’t a real shock to Wall Street, as a recent report indicated that this deal was drawing near.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Sure, most cars contain nothing but junk, but I manage to acquire a few unexpected assets that would otherwise go to waste.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
If SpaceX acquires Tesla, he will likely stay in control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
"Understanding how gluons behave inside nuclei is therefore essential to understanding how matter itself acquires its mass and structure."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
Ms. Howard’s voice is convincing in many emotional modes, and acquires extra power because she is unconcerned with perfection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Goldman Sachs sees opportunity and acquires ETF company Neos.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Like many other pseudosciences, numerology is ancient, and acquires some respectability from its religious associations.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Kenvue is being acquired and will therefore depart the index.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
Earnings in the recent quarter were weighed down by 11 cents a share in acquired in-process research and development and milestones expenses, compared with a headwind of $1.50 per share in the year-ago period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Neville acquired a network of YouTube channels from United influencer Mark Goldbridge last summer, which has significantly increased the channel's coverage of the club.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Mr. Specht tells us that “Kiliaen Van Rensselaer never visited the nearly 750,000 acres along the Hudson River that he acquired between 1629 and 1637.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
By degrees, he acquired a certain influence over me that took away my liberty of mind: his praise and notice were more restraining than his indifference.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the semiconductor giant is close to acquiring the San Jose, Calif.-based company, whose components are used in data centers, according to people familiar with the matter.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Over the past year, Musk has moved to consolidate his businesses, with SpaceX acquiring xAI and X, formerly Twitter, before going public this year.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
The company sought to boost its library by acquiring Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
"A range of other countries" had expressed interest in acquiring the Ghost Shark, Conroy said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
She screamed in protest against losing the king she had had such a hard time acquiring.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
