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# acquire

verb (acquire, acquires, acquired, acquiring); noun acquisition

«acquire» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (formal) To get or gain something, by buying it, being given it or working for it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#m1)
2. To learn or develop a skill, habit, knowledge or quality. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#m2)
3. (business) To buy another company. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#m3)

### In the lessons

A formal word in exam maths problems: «Ben acquires 8 more marbles» means he gets 8 more — add. In science, animals acquire habits; in language lessons, children acquire words. Phrases: «acquire a taste for», «acquire skills», «acquire knowledge».

### Examples

- She hopes to acquire a pet rabbit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#x1)
- Children acquire language by listening. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#x2)
- If Tom has 12 cards and acquires 9 more, he has 21. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#x3)
- You can acquire new skills by practising. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#x4)
- The library plans to acquire more books. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#x5)
- He acquired a taste for spicy food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#x6)
- It takes years to acquire great knowledge. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/#x7)

### Note

Formal; everyday: «get», «buy», «learn». Spelling: «acq-». In maths, «acquire» usually means an addition to the amount someone already has.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «acquire» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/acquire/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«acquire» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/acquire.html) on Mova free.