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
Tesla spent years defending, ultimately successfully, its 2016 acquisition of Solar City, Musk’s struggling clean-energy company.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The acquisition was negotiated by WestEnd’s Amsellem and Greenwich’s Co-President Edward Arentz while Kanopy’s Courtney Kyer and Arentz sealed the Greenwich/Kanopy pact.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025
Major studios began making acquisition deals at the festival each January, Redford added.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Mastery learning shifts the focus from mere knowledge acquisition to being able to apply that knowledge to accomplish something valuable to the individual, to their employer, and even to their community.
—Ulrik Juul Christensen, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acquisition
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Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The acquisition was negotiated by WestEnd’s Amsellem and Greenwich’s Co-President Edward Arentz while Kanopy’s Courtney Kyer and Arentz sealed the Greenwich/Kanopy pact.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025
Major studios began making acquisition deals at the festival each January, Redford added.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Mastery learning shifts the focus from mere knowledge acquisition to being able to apply that knowledge to accomplish something valuable to the individual, to their employer, and even to their community.
—Ulrik Juul Christensen, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 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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