acquire

verb

ac·​quire ə-ˈkwī(-ə)r 

acquired; acquiring

transitive verb

1

: to get as one's own:

a

: to come into possession or control of often by unspecified means

acquire property

The team acquired three new players this year.

b

: to come to have as a new or added characteristic, trait, or ability (as by sustained effort or natural selection)

acquire fluency in French

bacteria that acquire tolerance to antibiotics

2

: to locate and hold (a desired object) in a detector

acquire a target by radar

Synonyms

• cultivate
• develop
• form

Examples of acquire in a Sentence

The two ships were acquired by the navy after the war.

The team acquired three new players this year.

The old word has acquired a new meaning.

This apparently minor event has acquired increasing significance in recent weeks.

He is studying the way that language is acquired by children.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bringing Commonwealth Back To Life Commonwealth Distillery remained closed until 2019 when three new partners acquired the brand and the original building. —Chris Perugini, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

And that doesn’t include the costs of acquiring some of these franchises. —The Athletic Fc Podcast, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

But the reality is that Jimmy Butler never was about the regular season, even with the recent quality run he’s put together in the wake of being acquired (and paid) by the Warriors. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2025

In 1998, Studio USA took over the program; the company was subsequently acquired by NBCUniversal. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin acquīrere, from ad- ad- + quaerere "to seek, gain, obtain, enquire"; replacing earlier aquere, going back to Middle English aqweren, borrowed from Anglo-French acquerre, going back to Vulgar Latin *acquaerere, restructuring (by restoring the vocalism of quaerere) of acquīrere — more at quest entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing acquire

• acquire a reputation

Rhymes for acquire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar

Kids Definition

acquire

verb

ac·​quire ə-ˈkwī(ə)r 

acquired; acquiring

: to come to have often by one's own efforts : gain

acquirable

-ˈkwī-rə-bəl

adjective

Medical Definition

acquire

transitive verb

ac·​quire ə-ˈkwī(ə)r 

acquired; acquiring

: to come to have as a new or additional characteristic, trait, or ability (as by sustained effort, by mutation, or through environmental forces)

a cognitive system … that is acquired in early childhood

—Noam Chomsky

bacteria that acquire tolerance to antibiotics

insects that acquire resistance to insecticides

Legal Definition

acquire

transitive verb

ac·​quire ə-ˈkwīr 

acquired; acquiring

: to come into possession, ownership, or control of : obtain as one's own

the target's directors don't want the company to be acquired

—R. C. Clark

the court acquired jurisdiction

acquirer noun

also acquiror

ə-ˈkwīr-ər