acquire

[uh-kwahyuhr]

verb (used with object)

acquired, acquiring 

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

Other Word Forms

• acquirable adjective
• acquirability noun
• acquirer noun
• preacquire verb
• reacquire verb (used with object)
• self-acquired adjective
• unacquirable adjective
• unacquired adjective
• well-acquired adjective
• acquirement noun

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

Data centers in space also avoid the challenges of acquiring land and meeting local regulations or community resistance to projects.

Read more on Barron's

On Tuesday, Axon announced an agreement to acquire Carbyne, a privately held emergency communications platform.

Read more on Barron's

The company also said it was acquiring Carbyne, an emergency communications and response platform.

Read more on Barron's

Cybersecurity firm Wiz has cleared a regulatory hurdle with the Justice Department that puts it one step closer to being acquired by Google parent Alphabet for $32 billion.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Musk has elevated employees from his other companies to help run xAI, including Ross Nordeen, a former Tesla engineer whom Musk had worked with closely after acquiring Twitter.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.