Nearby Words
r
verb (used with object), -quired, -quir·ing.
1.
to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own: to acquire property.
2.
to gain for oneself through one's actions or efforts: to acquire learning.
3.
Linguistics. to achieve native or nativelike command of (a language or a linguistic rule or element).
4.
Military. to locate and track (a moving target) with a detector, as radar.
Origin:
1400–50; < Latin acquīrere to add to one's possessions, acquire (ac- ac- + -quīrere, combining form of quaerere to search for, obtain); replacing late Middle English aquere < Middle French aquerre < Latin
1400–50; < Latin acquīrere to add to one's possessions, acquire (ac- ac- + -quīrere, combining form of quaerere to search for, obtain); replacing late Middle English aquere < Middle French aquerre < Latin
Related forms
ac·quir·a·ble, adjective
ac·quir·a·bil·i·ty, noun
ac·quir·er, noun
pre·ac·quire, verb, -quired, -quir·ing.
re·ac·quire, verb (used with object), -quired, -quir·ing.
EXPANDself-ac·quired, adjective
un·ac·quir·a·ble, adjective
un·ac·quired, adjective
well-ac·quired, adjective
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Acquire
is an SAT word you need to know.
So is desperado. Does it mean:
| a bold, reckless criminal or outlaw especially from the Old West |
| to abstain from buying or using |
Example Sentences
- And yet, when the overheated prose cools down, Bryson's themes of self-exposure and self-invention acquire a sad dignity.
- The influx of cash is letting governments acquire land at bargain prices.
- Reduce the number of plastic bags you acquire.
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
acquire
mid-15c., from O.Fr. aquerre, from L. acquirere "to seek in addition to" (see acquisition).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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