acquisition
noun
ac·qui·si·tion
ˌa-kwə-ˈzi-shən 
plural acquisitions
1
: the act of acquiring something
acquisition of property
the acquisition of knowledge
2
: something or someone acquired or gained
The team announced two new acquisitions.
Examples of acquisition in a Sentence
Steven Schwartzman, the billionaire CEO of Blackstone, suffers no personal liquidity problems. But his firm, and others like it—have had to call off a series of proposed acquisitions because they can't get financing.
—
Daniel Gross, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2008
The gifting of books, too, endured as a legacy of our book hunting. I quickly learned not to ask for newly published books as birthday or Christmas presents, since they provided my father with too little of a challenge. The measure of a gift's value was the amount of thought and effort that went into its acquisition.
—Charles Mitchell, Bloomsbury Review, November/December 2002
McKnight and Ward, free-agent acquisitions who each have only one full season as a starter, have brought much-needed speed to the position. But rookie Chris Chambers, a second-round draft pick from Wisconsin, is the jewel.
—Jeffri Chadiha, Sports Illustrated, 1 Oct. 2000
the country's acquisition of new ships
The big company's newest acquisition is a small chain of clothing stores.
The museum has put its latest acquisitions on display.
Daniel Gross, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2008
The gifting of books, too, endured as a legacy of our book hunting. I quickly learned not to ask for newly published books as birthday or Christmas presents, since they provided my father with too little of a challenge. The measure of a gift's value was the amount of thought and effort that went into its acquisition.
—Charles Mitchell, Bloomsbury Review, November/December 2002
McKnight and Ward, free-agent acquisitions who each have only one full season as a starter, have brought much-needed speed to the position. But rookie Chris Chambers, a second-round draft pick from Wisconsin, is the jewel.
—Jeffri Chadiha, Sports Illustrated, 1 Oct. 2000
the country's acquisition of new ships
The big company's newest acquisition is a small chain of clothing stores.
The museum has put its latest acquisitions on display.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tablì is the result of Lavazza’s acquisition of the Italian startup Caffemotive in 2020.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 8 June 2026
That store, in a mixed use development on South Coast Highway 101, faced lagging sales and was one of nine to close nationwide as the chain — months shy of its acquisition by Amazon — faced new competition from Walmart and other conventional grocers.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2026
In November, George Kurtz, CEO and founder of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, became a co-owner of the Mercedes team through a minority acquisition in Toto Wolff’s ownership entity Motorsports Invest.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 8 June 2026
Last year, advisers to RedBird Capital, a key investor in Paramount’s acquisition of Warner, privately expressed concerns about whether Weiss was ready to run a television network.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for acquisition
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 8 June 2026
That store, in a mixed use development on South Coast Highway 101, faced lagging sales and was one of nine to close nationwide as the chain — months shy of its acquisition by Amazon — faced new competition from Walmart and other conventional grocers.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2026
In November, George Kurtz, CEO and founder of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, became a co-owner of the Mercedes team through a minority acquisition in Toto Wolff’s ownership entity Motorsports Invest.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 8 June 2026
Last year, advisers to RedBird Capital, a key investor in Paramount’s acquisition of Warner, privately expressed concerns about whether Weiss was ready to run a television network.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for acquisition
Cite this Entry
“Acquisition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquisition. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
acquisition
noun
ac·qui·si·tion
ˌak-wə-ˈzish-ən
1
: the act of acquiring
2
: something acquired
Legal Definition
acquisition
noun
ac·qui·si·tion
ˌa-kwə-ˈzi-shən
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