ACQUIRE Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

acquire

verb

ə-ˈkwī(-ə)r

Definition of acquire

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

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

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.

Recent Examples of acquire The brand was acquired by an English mechanic named Stephen Wynne in 1997. — New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026 Laser systems to be mounted on tactical vehicles The Army’s broader objective is not simply to acquire a new laser weapon, but to establish a flexible architecture that can accommodate improvements in performance and reliability over time. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 Aditya Guru Dev and Samyukta Lakshmi—grandchildren of the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore—acquired a bungalow with good bones and a slowly failing roof. — Nuriyah Johar, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026 In its place, European countries would acquire their own nuclear weapons. — Ivo H. Daalder, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for acquire

Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquire

Verb

The findings raise the possibility of developing treatments that expand a patient’s gamma delta T cells outside the body before returning them to fight the cancer.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
Boston Dynamics‘ prototype operation brings engineers and machinists together to develop, manufacture, assemble, and maintain robotic hardware.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of develop

Verb

Vance speaks with the manipulative skill of a politician who has cultivated a rapid-fire style designed not to persuade, but to overwhelm.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
The challenge is not racing to construct a synthetic copy but cultivating the capacity to recognize, interface with and leverage what has been present all along.

— Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of cultivate

Verb

Whether lawmakers accept those limits will help determine how much authority the federal government gains over advanced AI systems.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
North Korean engineers have learned from time spent working in Russia’s massive Yelabuga drone factory, and North Korean forces fighting alongside Russia have gained firsthand experience in integrating drones into modern combat.

— Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of gain

Verb

The hackers also obtained access to unique student identifier numbers as well as information about gender, race or ethnicity, primary language, country of origin and English learner status.

— Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Detectives identified a person of interest and obtained a search warrant for a residence.

— Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of obtain

Verb

Floated earlier this year, a separate bid to have political appointees—rather than independent expert panels—decide grant recipients garnered significant backlash.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
The goals and guardrails came forward after district leaders hosted more than 40 community listening sessions in recent months to garner feedback from families, teachers and other stakeholders.

— Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of garner

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acquirable

acquire

acquired

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Acquire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquire. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of acquire

verb

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