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 Rams acquired Garrett in a June trade that sent outside linebacker Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick and other future picks to the Cleveland Browns. — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026 Everpure, which sells data center storage hardware and software, has acquired its own GPUs, to run open-weight AI models for the company's software engineers, said CEO Charlie Giancarlo. — Jordan Novet, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026 Rather than only invest in Tamboran, Sheffield bought stakes in Beetaloo Energy and Falcon Oil & Gas, which was acquired by Tamboran earlier this year. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 Conrad acquired the building with a winning $21 million auction bid in 2024. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 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

The 54-year-old, who reportedly earned a $16 million salary in 2025, launched his own YouTube channel last week, showing off the sprawling virtual city.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
But the respect the band had earned from the country firmament felt, at best, grudging.

— Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of earn

Verb

Despite being a weird device with a black-and-white screen and a crank jutting out the side, the Playdate has managed to cultivate a strong and constantly growing library of games.

— Andrew Webster, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
The plant is also widely cultivated as a fodder crop for livestock.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of cultivate

Verb

Sheriff’s officials said the detectives later identified Morales Garcia, Farfan Ambriz and Medina as suspects in the homicide and obtained arrest warrants for them.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Twelve days later, Amazon blocked Muse from shopping on its site, arguing that third-party agents should identify themselves and obtain a retailer’s permission before transacting on behalf of its customers.

— Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 9 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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Style

“Acquire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquire. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of acquire

verb

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