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

Costa Coffee supplied coffee for the Tokyo and the Paris Games after the British chain was acquired by Coca-Cola — one of the International Olympic Committee’s longest-standing and most prominent partners — in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times

The chief executive offloaded more than $20 billion of the company’s shares in 2022, the year he acquired Twitter, now known as X.

From Los Angeles Times

The team of retired judges was set up last month to look into allegations that animals at Vantara were acquired unlawfully and mistreated.

From BBC

Rogen, who arrived backstage unable to carry all the trophies he had acquired, joked: it's "getting embarrassing".

From BBC

She points out that Gearbox itself had a turbulent time, going independent before being acquired and sold off again to GTA publisher 2K.

From BBC

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.