Meanings
verbacquire (third-person singular simple present acquires, present participle acquiring, simple past and past participle acquired)
present singular third person acquires · participle present acquiring · participle past acquired · past acquired · first person past singular acquired · archaic present second person singular acquirest · past second person singular acquired · archaic past second person singular acquiredst · present singular third person acquires · archaic present singular third person acquireth · past singular third person acquired · past plural acquired · past subjunctive acquired · participle present acquiring · participle past acquired
- transitiveTo gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own.
to acquire a skill
5 more examples
to acquire decent habits and manners
He acquired a title.
All the riches he acquired were from hard work.
One should acquire as much knowledge as possible from reading.
No virtue is acquired in an instant, but by degrees, step by step.
a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number)”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC - computingTo sample signals and convert them into digital values.
- CanadaUSgovernmentTo begin tracking a mobile target with a particular detector or sight, generally with the implication that an attack on the target thereby becomes possible.
Synonyms & antonyms
Broader
More synonyms by meaning
verbcome to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes)
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinacquirō
- Old Frenchaquerre
- Middle Englishacqueren
- Englishacquire
From Middle English acqueren, from Old French aquerre, from Latin acquirō; ad- + quaerō (“to seek for”). See quest.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans aanleer, aanleer
- aanleerto get
- aanleerto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Ancient Greek κτάομαι, κτάομαι
- κτάομαι (ktáomai)to get
- κτάομαι (ktáomai)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Arabic حَصَلَ, اِكْتَسَبَ
- حَصَلَ (ḥaṣala)to get
- اِكْتَسَبَ (iktasaba)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- كَسَبَ (kasaba)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- رَبِحَ (rabiḥa)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Bulgarian придоби́вам, придоби́я
- придоби́вам (pridobívam)to get
- придоби́я (pridobíja)to get
- реализирам (realiziram)to get
- постигам (postigam)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- спечелвам (spečelvam)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Catalan adquirir, adquirir
- adquirirto get
- adquirirto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Chinese Mandarin 獲得 /获得, 取得
- 獲得 /获得 (huòdé)to get
- 取得 (qǔdé)to get
Czech získávat, získat
- získávatto get
- získatto get
Danish anskaffe, erhverve
- anskaffeto get
- erhverveto get
- opkøbeto get
- skaffeto get
- fåto get
- erhverveto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Dutch verwerven, verkrijgen
- verwervento get
- verkrijgento get
- verwervento gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- verkrijgento gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- opdoento gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Esperanto akiri
- akirito get
Estonian omandama, hankima
- omandamato get
- hankimato get
- omandamato gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- hankimato gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Finnish hankkia, hankkia
- hankkiato get
- hankkiato gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- saadamedical: become affected by an illness
French acquérir, acquérir
- acquérirto get
- acquérirto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
German erwerben, erwerben
- erwerbento get
- erwerbento gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- akquirierento gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Hebrew רכש, קיבל
- רכש (rakhásh)to get
- קיבל (kibél)to get
- השיג (hisíg)to get
Hungarian szerez, hozzájut
- szerezto get
- hozzájutto get
- szerezto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- megszerezto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Italian acquisire, acquisire
- acquisireto get
- acquisireto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Japanese 獲得する, 得る
- 獲得する (kakutoku suru)to get
- 得る (eru)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Korean 획득하다
- 획득하다 (hoekdeukhada)to get
Latin potior, acquirō
- potiorto get
- acquirōto get
- nancīscorto get
- nancīscorto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- teneoto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- potiorto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Latvian iegūt
- iegūtto get
Malay peroleh
- perolehto get
Māori kaitaonga, tango
- kaitaongato get
- tangoto get
Norwegian Bokmål oppnå
- oppnåto get
Persian به دست آوردن
- به دست آوردن (be dast âvardan)to get
Polish nabywać, nabyć
- nabywaćto get
- nabyćto get
Portuguese adquirir, adquirir
- adquirirto get
- adquirirto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Russian добыва́ть, добы́ть
- добыва́ть (dobyvátʹ)to get
- добы́ть (dobýtʹ)to get
- достава́ть (dostavátʹ)to get
- доста́ть (dostátʹ)to get
- нажива́ть (naživátʹ)to get
- нажи́ть (nažítʹ)to get
- получа́ть (polučátʹ)to get
- получи́ть (polučítʹ)to get
- приобрета́ть (priobretátʹ)to get
- приобрести́ (priobrestí)to get
- овладева́ть (ovladevátʹ)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- овладе́ть (ovladétʹ)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Slovak získavať, získať
- získavaťto get
- získaťto get
Spanish obtener, adquirir
- obtenerto get
- adquirirto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Swedish införskaffa, förvärva
- införskaffato get
- förvärvato get
- uppköpato get
- skaffato get
- fåto get
- förvärvato gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- fåmedical: become affected by an illness
- drabbas avmedical: become affected by an illness
Turkish edinmek
- edinmekto get
Ukrainian здобува́ти, здобу́ти
- здобува́ти (zdobuváty)to get
- здобу́ти (zdobúty)to get
- отри́мувати (otrýmuvaty)to get
- отри́мати (otrýmaty)to get
- оволодіва́ти (ovolodiváty)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- оволоді́ти (ovolodíty)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- досяга́ти (dosjaháty)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- досягти́ (dosjahtý)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- набува́ти (nabuváty)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- набу́ти (nabúty)to gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Vietnamese đạt được, kiếm được
- đạt đượcto get
- kiếm đượcto get
- thu đượcto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- đạt đượcto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
- giành đượcto gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with acquire
firehigherpriorentirerequirebuyerhirewiresupplierempiredesiretireinquireflyerdryerchoirinspireretireexpireshireaspiredireadmiretyre
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
acquire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acquire
MLA
“acquire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acquire. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acquire,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acquire.
Source: acquire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.