acquire

verb

ac·​quire ə-ˈkwī(-ə)r 

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

Synonyms of acquire

• develop
• cultivate

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 on the Web

Although this may change, as people who have acquired Irish citizenship but aren't Irish-born are abusing it, adding to the immigration woes in Britain. —Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026

One&Only acquired the property in 2004. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Mar. 2026

Newly acquired safety Coby Bryant, linebacker Devin Bush, wide receiver and return specialist Kalif Raymond, and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore all met with the media here at Halas Hall on Thursday. —Matt Zahn, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2026

Ellison last fall acquired The Free Press, headed by former NYT opinion section staff editor Bari Weiss, and put Weiss in charge of CBS News editorial — resulting in significant turmoil within the organization. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin acquīrere, from ad- ad- + quaerere "to seek, gain, obtain, enquire"; replacing earlier aquere, going back to Middle English aqweren, borrowed from Anglo-French acquerre, going back to Vulgar Latin *acquaerere, restructuring (by restoring the vocalism of quaerere) of acquīrere — more at quest entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing acquire

• acquire a reputation

Rhymes for acquire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar

Kids Definition

acquire

verb

ac·​quire ə-ˈkwī(ə)r 

acquired; acquiring

: to come to have often by one's own efforts : gain

acquirable

-ˈkwī-rə-bəl

adjective

Medical Definition

acquire

transitive verb

ac·​quire ə-ˈkwī(ə)r 

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

Legal Definition

acquire

transitive verb

ac·​quire ə-ˈkwīr 

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

acquirer noun

also acquiror

ə-ˈkwīr-ər