acquire

play

verb ac·quire \ə-ˈkwī(-ə)r\

Definition of acquire

acquired

;

acquiring

transitive verb
1 : to get as one's own:a : to come into possession or control of often by unspecified means acquire property The team acquired three new players this year.b : to come to have as a new or added characteristic, trait, or ability (as by sustained effort or natural selection) acquire fluency in French bacteria that acquire tolerance to antibiotics
2 : to locate and hold (a desired object) in a detector acquire a target by radar

See acquire defined for English-language learners

See acquire defined for kids

Examples of acquire in a Sentence

The two ships were acquired by the navy after the war.
The team acquired three new players this year.
The old word has acquired a new meaning.
This apparently minor event has acquired increasing significance in recent weeks.
He is studying the way that language is acquired by children.

Recent Examples of acquire from the Web

Then, later this year, Liberty will spinoff into a separate company QVC Group, which will include HSNi and online retailer zulily, which Liberty acquired two years ago.

— Cincinnati.com, "QVC buys parent of West Chester-based Frontgate", 6 July 2017
This time the explanations came from fellow-liberals who admired the American exception, which is how the phrase acquired its secondary and more positive meaning.

— david frum, The Atlantic, "The Souring of American Exceptionalism", 3 July 2017
The T-Bolts acquired Kuzminsky for fellow reliever Ryan Leach in a Jan. 19 trade with Trois-Rivieres.

— steve millar, Daily Southtown, "ThunderBolts reliever Scott Kuzminsky found his groove in high school", 28 June 2017
Some 5,419 glass plate negatives from the Mathew Brady Studio were acquired by the Smithsonian as a group from the Frederick Hill Meserve Collection through the estate of Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt.

— roger catlin, Smithsonian, "How One Mathew Brady Photograph May Have Helped Elect Abraham Lincoln", 28 June 2017
The company filed for bankruptcy a year later, and was eventually acquired for a mere $20 million.

— vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, "Was Girlboss Netflix’s First Truly Terrible Show?", 26 June 2017
The county acquired the property in March from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service Asset Forfeiture Division.

— carrie napoleon, Post-Tribune, "Gary man submits winning bid in rare property auction", 23 June 2017
More: U of L Foundation says more analysis needed after first meeting since blistering audit As for the golf course, it was acquired by a foundation subsidiary on behalf of athletics in 2013.

— steve jones, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville athletics budget chief: Audit overplayed department's reliance on foundation", 23 June 2017
Toronto originally acquired the 23rd pick along with the draft rights to Norman Powell from Milwaukee in 2015 for Greivis Vasquez.

— Post-Tribune, "Indiana's OG Anunoby, Purdue's Caleb Swanigan picked in first round", 22 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acquire'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of acquire

Middle English aqueren, from Anglo-French acquerre, from Latin acquirere, from ad- + quaerere to seek, obtain

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

ACQUIRE Defined for English Language Learners

acquire

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verb

Definition of acquire for English Language Learners

: to get (something) : to come to own (something) : to come to have (something)
: to gain (a new skill, ability, etc.) usually by your own effort

ACQUIRE Defined for Kids

acquire

play

verb ac·quire \ə-ˈkwīr\

Definition of acquire for Students

acquired

;

acquiring

: to get especially through effort : gain acquire a skill

Medical Dictionary

acquire

play

transitive verb ac·quire \ə-ˈkwī(ə)r\

Medical Definition of acquire

acquired

;

acquiring

: to come to have as a new or additional characteristic, trait, or ability (as by sustained effort, by mutation, or through environmental forces) a cognitive system…that is acquired in early childhood—Noam Chomsky bacteria that acquire tolerance to antibiotics insects that acquire resistance to insecticides

Law Dictionary

acquire

play

transitive verb ac·quire \ə-ˈkwīr\

Legal Definition of acquire

acquired

acquiring

: to come into possession, ownership, or control of : obtain as one's own the target's directors don't want the company to be acquired — R. C. Clark the court acquired jurisdiction