Adjacent Words

Acquire definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ACQUI'RE, v.t. [L. acquiro, ad and quaero to seek, that is to follow, to press, to urge; acquiro signifies to pursue to the end or object; Heb. to seek, to make towards, to follow. The L. quaesivi, unless contracted, is probably from a different root. See class Gr. and Gs.]
To gain, by any means, something which is in a degree permanent, or which becomes vested or inherent in the possessor; as, to acquire a title, estate, learning, habits, skill, dominion, etc. Plants acquire a green color from the solar rays. a mere temporary possession is not expressed by acquire, but by gain, obtain, procure, as to obtain [not acquire] a book on loan.
Descent is the title whereby a man, on the death of his ancestor, acquires his estate, by right of representation, as his heir at law.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: 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" [syn: get, acquire]
2: 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" [syn: assume, acquire, adopt, take on, take]
3: 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" [syn: grow, develop, produce, get, acquire]
4: locate (a moving entity) by means of a tracking system such as radar
5: win something through one's efforts; "I acquired a passing knowledge of Chinese"; "Gain an understanding of international finance" [syn: acquire, win, gain] [ant: lose]
6: gain knowledge or skills; "She learned dancing from her sister"; "I learned Sanskrit"; "Children acquire language at an amazing rate" [syn: learn, larn, acquire]
7: 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" [syn: develop, acquire, evolve]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (acquired; acquiring) Etymology: Middle English aqueren, from Anglo-French acquerre, from Latin acquirere, from ad- + quaerere to seek, obtain Date: 15th century 1. to get as one's own: a. to come into possession or control of often by unspecified means 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>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 gain by and for oneself; obtain. 2 come into possession of (acquired fame; acquired much property). Phrases and idioms: acquired characteristic Biol. a characteristic caused by the environment, not inherited. acquired immune deficiency syndrome Med. see AIDS. acquired taste 1 a liking gained by experience. 2 the object of such a liking. Derivatives: acquirable adj. Etymology: ME f. OF aquerre ult. f. L acquirere (as AC-, quaerere seek)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Acquire Ac*quire", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acquired; p. pr. & vb. n. Acquiring.] [L. acquirere, acquisitum; ad + quarere to seek for. In OE. was a verb aqueren, fr. the same, through OF. aquerre. See Quest..] 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. No virtue is acquired in an instant, but step by step. --Barrow. Descent is the title whereby a man, on the death of his ancestor, acquires his estate, by right of representation, as his heir at law. --Blackstone. Syn: To obtain; gain; attain; procure; win; earn; secure. See Obtain.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(acquires, acquiring, acquired) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you acquire something, you buy or obtain it for yourself, or someone gives it to you. (FORMAL) General Motors acquired a 50% stake in Saab for about $400m... I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree... VERB: V n, V n from n 2. If you acquire something such as a skill or a habit, you learn it, or develop it through your daily life or experience. I've never acquired a taste for wine... VERB: V n 3. If someone or something acquires a certain reputation, they start to have that reputation. He has acquired a reputation as this country's premier solo violinist. VERB: V n 4. If you describe something as an acquired taste, you mean that a lot of people do not like it when they first experience it, but often start to like it more when they get to know it better. Broad beans are very much an acquired taste... PHRASE: usu v-link PHR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Gain, obtain, achieve, attain, procure, earn, win, get, secure, have, make, get possession of, get into one's hands. See purchase. 2. Master, learn thoroughly, make one's self master of.

Moby Thesaurus

accept, accumulate, achieve, add, admit, amass, annex, assume, bag, be responsible for, be seized of, bring down, bring in, bring on, bring upon, buy, capture, catch, catch up, claim, clap hands on, clasp, claw, clench, clinch, clutch, collect, come by, come in for, come into, contract, corral, cumulate, derive, derive from, drag down, drain off, draw, draw down, draw from, draw off, earn, embrace, enter into possession, fall in with, fall into, gain, garner, get, get hold of, glom on to, grab, grab hold of, grapple, grasp, grip, gripe, harvest, have, have coming in, hug, incur, invite, knock down, land, lay hands on, lay hold of, loot, make, nail, net, nip, nip up, obtain, palm, partake, pick up, pillage, pocket, possess, procure, pull down, purchase, reach, reap, receive, run, sack, score, secure, seize, snap up, snatch, steal, take, take by assault, take by storm, take hold of, take in, take on, take over, take possession, welcome, whip up, win