acquisition

noun

ac·​qui·​si·​tion ˌa-kwə-ˈzi-shən How to pronounce acquisition (audio)
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.
acquisitional adjective
acquisitor noun

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This acquisition utilizes a proprietary SEM platform for managing and scaling SEM campaigns. Quartz Bot, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024 Trump has already shown a willingness to go after media companies by pressuring regulatory agencies to apply more scrutiny to certain mergers and acquisitions. Sara Fischer, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024 Consider partnerships or acquisitions to build CX capabilities rapidly. Amy Packard Berry, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 The gap between the launch and international distribution acquisition is unusually long for TV, but includes scope for future episodes of the drama. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for acquisition 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English adquysicyoun, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French acquisition, borrowed from Latin acquīsītiōn-, acquīsītiō, from acquīsī- (variant stem of acquīrere "to acquire") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of acquisition was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near acquisition

Cite this Entry

“Acquisition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquisition. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

acquisition

noun
ac·​qui·​si·​tion ˌak-wə-ˈzish-ən How to pronounce acquisition (audio)
1
: the act of acquiring
2
: something acquired

Legal Definition

acquisition

noun
ac·​qui·​si·​tion ˌa-kwə-ˈzi-shən How to pronounce acquisition (audio)
1
: the act or action of acquiring
specifically : the obtaining of controlling interest in a company compare merger, takeover
2
: a thing gained or acquired

More from Merriam-Webster on acquisition

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!