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acquire

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verb [transitive] American English pronunciation: acquire /əˈkwaɪr/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theyacquire
he/she/itacquires
present participleacquiring
past tenseacquired
past participleacquired
 
  1. 1
    formal to get something, for example by buying it or being given it

    We acquired the company for 100 million dollars.

    newly acquired:

    his newly acquired BMW

    acquire something from someone:

    The business was acquired from Orion four years ago.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acquire
  2. 2
    to get new knowledge or a new skill by learning it

    How can such a large quantity of knowledge be acquired?

    the way children acquire language

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acquire
  3. 3
    to get a particular reputation, position, or name

    He soon acquired a reputation as a perfectionist.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acquire
  4. 4
    to get a disease, illness, or infection

    Any drug user who shares a needle is at risk of acquiring AIDS.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acquire
  5. 5
    to gradually develop or learn something
    acquire a taste for something (=start to like it):

    I've never really acquired a taste for wine.

    acquired taste (=something you do not like at first, but gradually start to enjoy):

    Decaffeinated coffee is an acquired taste.

    acquire the habit (of doing something) (=start to do something regularly, without thinking about why):

    We want people to acquire the habit of using public transportation instead of their cars.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acquire

This is the American English definition of acquire. View British English definition of acquire.

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View the pronunciation for acquire.

 

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