Meanings
present singular third person procures · participle present procuring · participle past procured · past procured · first person past singular procured · archaic present second person singular procurest · past second person singular procured · archaic past second person singular procuredst · present singular third person procures · archaic present singular third person procureth · past singular third person procured · past plural procured · past subjunctive procured · participle present procuring · participle past procured
- transitiveTo acquire or obtain.
if we procure not to ourselves more woe
1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC2 more examples
Later there would also be need for seeds and artificial manures, besides various tools and, finally, the machinery for the windmill. How these were to be procured, no one was able to imagine.
1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLCFolkestone: Network Rail and the White Cliffs Countryside Project have procured a herd of goats to keep vegetation on the slopes of Folkestone Warren under control, and to encourage rare species.
2025 February 5, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: Southern”, in RAIL, number 1028, page 22Synonyms: get, gain, acquire, attain, obtain, achieve, acquire, attain
- transitivecriminal lawTo induce or persuade someone to do something.
Synonyms: convince, entice, prevail upon, put someone up to something, bring round, convict, convince, draw
- obsoleteTo contrive; to bring about; to effect; to cause.
Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall.
c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]1 more example
By all means possible they procure to have gold and silver among them in reproach.
1551, Thomas More, translated by Ralph Robinson, UtopiaSynonyms: devise, effectuate, implement
- obsoleteTo solicit; to entreat.
The famous Briton prince and faery knight, […] / Of the fair Alma greatly were procured / To make there lenger soiourne and abode.
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 1Synonyms: beseech, plead, supplicate
- obsoleteTo cause to come; to bring; to attract.
What unaccustomed cause procures her hither?
c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]Synonyms: draw
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo acquire or obtain.
verbTo induce or persuade someone to do something.
verbTo contrive; to bring about; to effect; to cause.
verbTo solicit; to entreat.
verbTo cause to come; to bring; to attract.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latinprōcūrāre“to manage, administer”
- Old Frenchprocurer
- Middle Englishprocuren
- Englishprocure
From Middle English procuren, from Old French procurer, from Late Latin prōcūrāre (“to manage, administer”), from prō (“on behalf of”) + cūrō (“to care for”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κτάομαι, πορίζομαι
- κτάομαι (ktáomai)to acquire or obtain an item or service
- πορίζομαι (porízomai)to acquire or obtain an item or service
Bulgarian получавам, набавям си
- получавам (polučavam)to acquire or obtain an item or service
- набавям си (nabavjam si)to acquire or obtain an item or service
- своднича (svodniča)to obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else
Chinese Cantonese 獲得 /获得
- 獲得 /获得 (wok⁶ dak¹)to acquire or obtain an item or service
Dutch verwerven, verkrijgen
- verwervento acquire or obtain an item or service
- verkrijgento acquire or obtain an item or service
Finnish hankkia, parittaa
- hankkiato acquire or obtain an item or service
- parittaato obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else
- yllyttääto induce or persuade someone to do something
French acquérir, obtenir
- acquérirto acquire or obtain an item or service
- obtenirto acquire or obtain an item or service
- proxénétismeto obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else
German beschaffen, erwerben
- beschaffento acquire or obtain an item or service
- erwerbento acquire or obtain an item or service
- besorgento acquire or obtain an item or service
- aufbringento acquire or obtain an item or service
- verschaffento acquire or obtain an item or service
- beibringento acquire or obtain an item or service
- zuführento obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else
- kuppelnto obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else
- vermittelnto obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else
- anstiftento induce or persuade someone to do something
- verleitento induce or persuade someone to do something
- überredento induce or persuade someone to do something
Hungarian beszerez, szerez
- beszerezto acquire or obtain an item or service
- szerezto acquire or obtain an item or service
- megszerezto acquire or obtain an item or service
- szert teszto acquire or obtain an item or service
- kerítto obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else
Italian procurare, approvvigionare
- procurareto acquire or obtain an item or service
- approvvigionareto acquire or obtain an item or service
- acquistareto acquire or obtain an item or service
- ottenereto acquire or obtain an item or service
Māori haha, kaitaonga
- hahato acquire or obtain an item or service
- kaitaongato acquire or obtain an item or service
Norwegian Bokmål skaffe, tilveiebringe
- skaffeto acquire or obtain an item or service
- tilveiebringeto acquire or obtain an item or service
Polish stręczyć
- stręczyćto induce or persuade someone to do something
Portuguese obter, conseguir
- obterto acquire or obtain an item or service
- conseguirto acquire or obtain an item or service
Russian достава́ть, добыва́ть
- достава́ть (dostavátʹ)to acquire or obtain an item or service
- добыва́ть (dobyvátʹ)to acquire or obtain an item or service
- сводничать (svodničatʹ)to obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else
- подгова́ривать (podgovárivatʹ)to induce or persuade someone to do something
Spanish procurar
- procurarto acquire or obtain an item or service
Swedish skaffa, införskaffa
- skaffato acquire or obtain an item or service
- införskaffato acquire or obtain an item or service
- anskaffato acquire or obtain an item or service
Yiddish דערקאַזשען
- דערקאַזשען (derkazhen)to acquire or obtain an item or service
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with procure
Cite this entry
procure. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/procure
“procure.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/procure. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “procure,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/procure.
Source: procure on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.