Definitions for acquire
əˈkwaɪərac·quire

Princeton's WordNet(3.11 / 10 votes)Rate this definition:

1. get, acquire(verb)

   come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

   "She got a lot of paintings from her uncle"; "They acquired a new pet"; "Get your results the next day"; "Get permission to take a few days off from work"

2. assume, acquire, adopt, take on, take(verb)

   take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect

   "His voice took on a sad tone"; "The story took a new turn"; "he adopted an air of superiority"; "She assumed strange manners"; "The gods assume human or animal form in these fables"

3. grow, develop, produce, get, acquire(verb)

   come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes)

   "He grew a beard"; "The patient developed abdominal pains"; "I got funny spots all over my body"; "Well-developed breasts"

4. acquire(verb)

   locate (a moving entity) by means of a tracking system such as radar

5. acquire, win, gain(verb)

   win something through one's efforts

   "I acquired a passing knowledge of Chinese"; "Gain an understanding of international finance"

6. learn, larn, acquire(verb)

   gain knowledge or skills

   "She learned dancing from her sister"; "I learned Sanskrit"; "Children acquire language at an amazing rate"

7. develop, acquire, evolve(verb)

   gain through experience

   "I acquired a strong aversion to television"; "Children must develop a sense of right and wrong"; "Dave developed leadership qualities in his new position"; "develop a passion for painting"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. acquire(Verb)

   To get.

   Etymology: From aqueren, from aquerre, from adquaerere; ad + quaero. See quest.

2. acquire(Verb)

   To gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own, as, to acquire a title, riches, knowledge, skill, good or bad habits.

   Etymology: From aqueren, from aquerre, from adquaerere; ad + quaero. See quest.

Webster Dictionary(3.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Acquire(verb)

   to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own; as, to acquire a title, riches, knowledge, skill, good or bad habits

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Acquire

   Acquire is a board game designed by Sid Sackson. The game was originally published in 1962 by 3M as a part of their bookshelf games series. In most versions, the theme of the game is investing in hotel chains. In the 1990s Hasbro edition, the hotel chains were replaced by generic corporations, though the actual gameplay was unchanged. The game is currently published by Hasbro under the Avalon Hill brand, and the companies are once again hotel chains. The object of the game is to earn the most money by developing and merging hotel chains. When a chain in which a player owns stock is acquired by a larger chain, players earn money based on the size of the acquired chain. At the end of the game, all players liquidate their stock in order to determine which player has the most money.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Acquire

   ak-kwīr′, v.t. to gain: to attain to.—n. Acquirabil′ity.—adj. Acquir′able, that may be acquired.—ns. Acquire′ment, something learned or got by effort, rather than a gift of nature; Acquisi′tion, the act of acquiring: that which is acquired.—adj. Acquis′itive, desirous to acquire.—n. Acquis′itiveness, propensity to acquire—one of the phrenologists' so-called faculties, with its special organ. [O. Fr. aquerre—L. acquirĕre, -quisitum—ad, to, and quærĕre, to seek.]

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'acquire' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4430

2. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'acquire' in Verbs Frequency: #307

How to pronounce acquire?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say acquire in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of acquire in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of acquire in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of acquire in a Sentence

1. Executive Dieter Zetsche:

   You can see from reading the papers that we are trying to acquire a platform together with our German competitors, to gain control over the platform which enables autonomous driving, for exactly these reasons, we have the goal of designing security into the software.

2. Alexis de Tocqueville:

   The main business of religions is to purify, control, and restrain that excessive and exclusive taste for well-being which men acquire in times of equality.

3. RJ Intindola – (Gandolfo):

   Even the wisest among us do not possess complete knowledge of every subject; however, they acquire a deep understanding regarding the limits of their knowledge. Acknowledge, the extent of your knowledge.

4. Nozomu Yoshitomi:

   There is a possibility that if we do not acquire a more sophisticated ballistic missile defense system, it will become impossible for both the United States and Japan to respond.

5. George Sand:

   Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness.

Images & Illustrations of acquire

Popularity rank by frequency of use