1
as in to develop
to come to have gradually
from years of working two jobs, he has acquired the ability to get by on only a few hours of sleep a day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to earn
to receive as return for effort
acquired a reputation for always arriving at his friends' house just as they were sitting down to dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of acquire
The team also acquired defensive lineman Micah Parsons in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2025 season.
—
Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
Herro and Powell entered Saturday with just 89 minutes played together this season after Powell was acquired by the Heat in a trade this past offseason.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2026
Matheson, Carrier and Dobson represented 75 percent of the Canadiens’ top-four defense last game, with Kaiden Guhle out, and all three were acquired by trade.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Having acquired a significant amount of debt over the last few years due to her husband’s year-and-a-half-long unemployment, Pelovitz explored several options to pay it off.
—Adriana Morga, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for acquire
Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
Herro and Powell entered Saturday with just 89 minutes played together this season after Powell was acquired by the Heat in a trade this past offseason.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2026
Matheson, Carrier and Dobson represented 75 percent of the Canadiens’ top-four defense last game, with Kaiden Guhle out, and all three were acquired by trade.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Having acquired a significant amount of debt over the last few years due to her husband’s year-and-a-half-long unemployment, Pelovitz explored several options to pay it off.
—Adriana Morga, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for acquire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquire
Verb
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Coming off two straight nine-win seasons, Dykes has seen enough confirmation on the field that TCU has plenty of talent already inside the building; most of it just needs to continue to develop.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
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Israeli attacks weakened Iran’s regional armed proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollahwhile US strikes dealt significant damage to the country’s nuclear program, which the government spent billions to develop.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bregman played his first nine seasons with the Houston Astros, winning World Series titles in 2017 and 2022 — although the first of those yielded a sign-stealing scandal that earned Bregman and his teammates plenty of scorn.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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After doing some work onstage, the actor and comedian finally began appearing on-screen in the 1970s, earning small roles in TV shows like Police Woman, The Waltons and The Jeffersons.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The psychological thriller, penned by Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning writer Tracy Letts (Coon's real life husband), cultivates fear slowly.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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And recently, Minneapolis has cultivated its own take on the culture—a little more social, a little more lively.—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If Enceladus doesn’t gain enough energy, its surface activity would slow down or stop, and the ocean could eventually freeze.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
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A week after a 27-10 road win at Syracuse, North Carolina turned in a dreadful first half against Stanford (3-7, 2-5 ACC), gaining only 47 total yards on its way to a 3-3 halftime tie.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Bruins won for the fifth time in six games despite going 0 for 6 on the power play a day after beating the Rangers 10-2.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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Though the Heat is returning home for three games, Miami won’t be heavily favored to win any of them.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The lone exceptions have been health care – an industry growing as a result of an aging population – and leisure and hospitality, which has reaped some of the spoils from an increasingly bifurcated economy.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
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Sol de Janeiro’s body lotion comes with a convenient pump that quickly dispenses the lotion so my skin can reap the benefits of the formula.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital revealed allegations made by the staffer’s attorney, Heidi Sharp, on the day Moore allegedly entered the staffer's home without permission, which later resulted in his arrest.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Jan. 2026
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As a result, the couple obtained more than $450,000.—
Chase Jordan
January 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The film garnered significant critical attention, receiving a nine-minute standing ovation on the Lido and later going on to win the inaugural International People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
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When the work is done and enters the world, there’s a decent chance that the reporting garners relatively little attention.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acquire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquire. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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