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
Nvidia’s prescient acquisition of Mellanox has been a critical component of its success over the last few years, enabling scalable AI and HPC performance.
—Karl Freund, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Speculation has been mounting in recent months over whether the company could become an acquisition target.
—Jenni Reid, CNBC, 11 July 2025
The Canucks’ biggest offseason acquisition was a forward capable of playing at the top of the lineup, but best suited to playing in the middle six.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 11 July 2025
The bill permanently caps eligible mortgage acquisition debt at $750,000, including HELOCs.
—Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 10 July 2025
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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Karl Freund, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Speculation has been mounting in recent months over whether the company could become an acquisition target.
—Jenni Reid, CNBC, 11 July 2025
The Canucks’ biggest offseason acquisition was a forward capable of playing at the top of the lineup, but best suited to playing in the middle six.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 11 July 2025
The bill permanently caps eligible mortgage acquisition debt at $750,000, including HELOCs.
—Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for acquisition
Cite this Entry
“Acquisition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquisition. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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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