acquire
verb
ac·quire
ə-ˈkwī(-ə)r 
acquired; acquiring
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
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
Execs at both companies see the tie-up as a merger of equals, not one party acquiring the other.
—
Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
After failing to acquire Rogers Corporation due to regulatory hurdles, DuPont took the sale proceeds and repurchased billions of dollars worth of stock at much lower levels.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
San Jose acquired Vanecek and a 2025 seventh-round puck from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline last season for fellow goalie Kaapo Kahkonen.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024
Klein acquired the car from its original owner, Ferrari importer and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Luigi Chinetti, in 1976 and the car hadn’t left the lot since arriving.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for acquire 
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Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
After failing to acquire Rogers Corporation due to regulatory hurdles, DuPont took the sale proceeds and repurchased billions of dollars worth of stock at much lower levels.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
San Jose acquired Vanecek and a 2025 seventh-round puck from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline last season for fellow goalie Kaapo Kahkonen.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024
Klein acquired the car from its original owner, Ferrari importer and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Luigi Chinetti, in 1976 and the car hadn’t left the lot since arriving.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for acquire
Dictionary Entries Near acquire
Cite this Entry
“Acquire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquire. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
acquire
verb
ac·quire
ə-ˈkwī(ə)r
acquired; acquiring
: to come to have often by one's own efforts : gain
acquirable
adjective
-ˈkwī-rə-bəl
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
Noam Chomskybacteria 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
R. C. Clarkthe court acquired jurisdiction
acquirer
noun
also acquiror
ə-ˈkwīr-ər
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