Acquire

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Acquire \Ac*quire"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Acquired}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Acquiring}.] [L. acquirere, acquisitum; ad + quarere
     to seek for. In OE. was a verb aqueren, fr. the same, through
     OF. aquerre. See {Quest}..]
     To gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own;
     as, to acquire a title, riches, knowledge, skill, good or bad


     habits.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           No virtue is acquired in an instant, but step by step.
                                                    --Barrow.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Descent is the title whereby a man, on the death of his
           ancestor, acquires his estate, by right of
           representation, as his heir at law.      --Blackstone.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: To obtain; gain; attain; procure; win; earn; secure. See
          {Obtain}.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  acquire
       v 1: come into the possession of something concrete or abstract;
            "She got a lot of paintings from her uncle"; "They
            acquired a new pet"; "Get your results the next day";
            "Get permission to take a few days off from work" [syn:
            {get}]
       2: take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect; "His voice
          took on a sad tone"; "The story took a new turn"; "he
          adopted an air of superiority"; "She assumed strange
          manners"; "The gods assume human or animal form in these
          fables" [syn: {assume}, {adopt}, {take on}, {take}]
       3: come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and
          attributes); "He grew a beard"; "The patient developed
          abdominal pains"; "I got funny spots all over my body";
          "Well-developed breasts" [syn: {grow}, {develop}, {produce},
           {get}]
       4: locate (a moving entity) by means of a tracking system such
          as radar
       5: win something through one's efforts; "I acquired a passing
          knowledge of Chinese"; "Gain an understanding of
          international finance" [syn: {win}, {gain}] [ant: {lose}]
       6: acquire or gain knowledge or skills; "She learned dancing
          from her sister"; "I learned Sanskrit"; "Children acquire
          language at an amazing rate" [syn: {learn}, {larn}]
       7: gain through experience; "I acquired a strong aversion to
          television"; "Children must develop a sense of right and
          wrong"; "Dave developed leadership qualities in his new
          position"; "develop a passion for painting" [syn: {develop},
           {evolve}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  105 Moby Thesaurus words for "acquire":
     accept, accumulate, achieve, add, admit, amass, annex, assume, bag,
     be responsible for, be seized of, bring down, bring in, bring on,
     bring upon, buy, capture, catch, catch up, claim, clap hands on,
     clasp, claw, clench, clinch, clutch, collect, come by, come in for,
     come into, contract, corral, cumulate, derive, derive from,
     drag down, drain off, draw, draw down, draw from, draw off, earn,
     embrace, enter into possession, fall in with, fall into, gain,
     garner, get, get hold of, glom on to, grab, grab hold of, grapple,
     grasp, grip, gripe, harvest, have, have coming in, hug, incur,
     invite, knock down, land, lay hands on, lay hold of, loot, make,
     nail, net, nip, nip up, obtain, palm, partake, pick up, pillage,
     pocket, possess, procure, pull down, purchase, reach, reap,
     receive, run, sack, score, secure, seize, snap up, snatch, steal,
     take, take by assault, take by storm, take hold of, take in,
     take on, take over, take possession, welcome, whip up, win