acquire

[ uh-kwahyuhr ]

verb (used with object)

, ac·quired, ac·quir·ing.

1. to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own:

   to acquire property.

2. to gain for oneself through one's actions or efforts:

   to acquire learning.

   Synonyms: appropriate, attain, earn, win

3. Linguistics. to achieve native or nativelike command of (a language or a linguistic rule or element).
4. Military. to locate and track (a moving target) with a detector, as radar.

acquire

/ əˈkwaɪə /

verb

1. tr to get or gain (something, such as an object, trait, or ability), esp more or less permanently

Derived Forms

• acˈquirable, adjective
• acˈquirer, noun
• acˈquirement, noun

Other Words From

• ac·quir·a·ble adjective
• ac·quir·a·bil·i·ty [uh, -kwahy, uh, r-, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• ac·quir·er noun
• pre·ac·quire verb preacquired preacquiring
• re·ac·quire verb (used with object) reacquired reacquiring
• self-ac·quired adjective
• un·ac·quir·a·ble adjective
• un·ac·quired adjective
• well-ac·quired adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of acquire¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of acquire¹

C15: via Old French from Latin acquīrere, from ad- in addition + quaerere to get, seek

Synonym Study

See get.

Example Sentences

Dr Aja Murray, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, who led the study, said: "Emotion regulation skills are acquired from early in life and are thought to strengthen gradually over childhood. Children, however, acquire these skills at different rates and slower acquisition may serve as a marker for neurodevelopmental and mental health issues. Our findings suggest that monitoring trajectories of emotion regulation over development could help identity which children are at risk of mental health issues."

From Science Daily

Back then, the artist said he conceived of his work as a satirical jab at market speculation, asking the question, “On what basis does an object acquire value in the art system?”

From New York Times

Under the treaty, "there are no circumstances under which Ukraine as a state party may acquire, stockpile or use them", she added.

From BBC

Additionally, the study shows about half of the cultural knowledge hunter-gatherer children and adolescents acquire comes from people they are not related to.

From Science Daily

"This is an incredible trait for a virus to acquire during evolution to control the movement of its key protein," says Zhu.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• achieve
• amass
• bring in
• buy
• collect
• earn
• gain
• get
• have
• pick up
• promote
• take
• win