acquire
Americanverb (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
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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.
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.
Related Words
See get.
Other Word Forms
- acquirability noun
- acquirable adjective
- acquirement noun
- acquirer noun
- preacquire verb
- reacquire verb (used with object)
- self-acquired adjective
- unacquirable adjective
- unacquired adjective
- well-acquired adjective
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
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.
Archaea that consume methylamines, along with certain bacteria that may have acquired the same ability, play an important role in human health.
From Science Daily
Analysts say they expect Netflix to now commit itself more aggressively to acquiring sports rights and other content.
From MarketWatch
If the bid is accepted and makes it through regulatory hurdles, the new company will own the news channel CNN, as well as CBS News, which it acquired when Paramount and Skydance merged last year.
From BBC
Saudi Arabia acquired intermediate-range ballistic missiles from China in the 1980s.
“We want to reintroduce customers back to Burberry and having prime space in Bloomingdale’s is a great place for us to acquire new customers who may not come to our free-standing stores.”
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.
