acquire

verb

uh-KWY-ur/əˈkwaɪɚ/UKuh-KWY-uh/əˈkwaɪə/

Formsacquires, acquiring, acquired

5 meanings of acquire

1
verbtransitive
To get something for yourself, usually through your own effort.
Like earning a medal by training hard for it.
Over the years, they worked hard to acquire a small farm.
She saved for months to acquire her first car.
Similarobtain, gain, secure, amass, procure
Oppositelose, forfeit
Note
2
verbtransitive
To get something or come to have it.
I need to acquire a new phone soon.
They acquired three new players this season.
Similarget, obtain, gain, develop, buy
Oppositelose, sell
3
verbtransitive
To catch an illness or disease.
Like catching a cold from someone who sneezes near you.
Many travelers acquire stomach bugs from unclean water.
He acquired a serious infection after the surgery.
Similarcatch, get, contract
Note
4
verbCanadaUStransitive
To start tracking a moving target with a sight or sensor, so an attack can follow.
Like locking your eyes on a moving ball so you can catch it.
The crew worked fast to acquire the incoming aircraft on radar.
Once they acquired the target, the launch was cleared.
Similartrack, target
Note
5
verbtransitive
To take signals and change them into digital numbers a computer can use.
Like taking many quick photos of something moving to record how it changes.
The sensor can acquire data from the engine many times each second.
The new card acquires audio and saves it as a digital file.
Similarcapture, record, sample
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Latin acquirō, made from ad- and quaerō meaning "to seek for." It came into English through Old French.