acquire

English Online Dictionary. What means acquire‎? What does acquire mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English acqueren, from Old French aquerre, from Latin acquirō; ad- + quaerō (“to seek for”). See quest.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈkwaɪɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈkwaɪə/
• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: ac‧quire

Verb

acquire (third-person singular simple present acquires, present participle acquiring, simple past and past participle acquired)

1. (transitive) To get.
2. (transitive) To gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own.
3. (medicine) To become affected by an illness.

   Synonyms: contract, catch, get

4. (computing) To sample signals and convert them into digital values.
5. (Canada, US, military) To begin tracking a mobile target with a particular detector or sight, generally with the implication that an attack on the target thereby becomes possible.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (get, gain): attain, come by, earn, gain, obtain, procure, secure, win

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “get, gain”): abandon, lose

Derived terms

Related terms

• acquisition
• acquirement
• acquisitive
• acquisitory

Translations

See also

• obtain
• reach

Latin

Verb

acquīre

1. second-person singular present active imperative of acquīrō