ACQUIRE Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

acquire

verb

ə-ˈkwī(-ə)r

Definition of acquire

as in to develop

to come to have gradually from years of working two jobs, he has acquired the ability to get by on only a few hours of sleep a day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to earn

to receive as return for effort acquired a reputation for always arriving at his friends' house just as they were sitting down to dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of acquire Another potential growth vehicle is Salt Life, which was acquired out of bankruptcy in 2024. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026 When Skydance acquired Paramount in August 2025, the company wanted to take advantage of Paramount’s familiar consumer brand while also emphasizing Skydance as the corporate parent. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026 The buyer, Omnidea, plans to establish its UK operations at Orbex’s former manufacturing facility in Scotland, having agreed to a deal to acquire the assets and intellectual property (IP) of the defunct rocket developer. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026 In December 1980, Sunkyong acquired a controlling interest in Korea Oil Corporation, then South Korea’s largest energy company. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for acquire

Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquire

Verb

Researchers have developed a paper-thin foot membrane that lets crawling microrobots harvest electricity directly from the ground beneath them, ditching heavy onboard batteries by turning metal and silicon surfaces into an active power source.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
Neil Carleton, a cancer biologist and first-year resident physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that breast tumors can develop and grow differently in older patients than in younger ones because of hormone levels and inflammation.

— Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of develop

Verb

Formed in 2012, Polaris broke through with 2017’s The Mortal Coil and 2020’s The Death of Me, both of which debuted in the Australian Top 10 and earned ARIA nominations for best hard rock/heavy metal album.

— Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2026
Referees showed head coach Nate Miller a pair of yellow cards a minute apart, earning him an ejection 21 minutes into the game.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of earn

Verb

The grim scene was a stark contrast to the flamboyant public life the businessman had cultivated.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Cotton farmers represent an indispensable link in the upstream fashion supply chain, cultivating the very crops that make their way into garments spanning seasonality and circumstances, for brands ranging from mass market to luxury.

— Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of cultivate

Verb

The aim is to help a variety of institutions gain insights into the origins of their collections, providing a basis for further actions.

— Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Related Explore See latest videos, charts and news The tracking week included an extended holiday and saw few new releases, and perhaps with demand for reading also running high, long-selling novels gained points across the board.

— Billboard Japan, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of gain

Verb

Elephants in the Fog competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival this year, winning the Jury Prize.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Award-winning chef Kai Mueller has created a large and unusual menu that leans into the location, with a much healthier twist (all dishes that are safe to have on the detox programme are clearly marked).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of win

Verb

An April 2025 legionella report obtained by The Sacramento Bee shows the bacteria was found in at least 17 samples, including those taken from the men’s locker room, a women’s bathroom and several janitor closets.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Caputo said the idea for the citizenship-for-investment program emerged during Milei's July 2024 visit to Sun Valley, Idaho, when tech executives expressed interest in obtaining Argentine citizenship.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of obtain

Verb

Eisenberg’s film garnered considerable laughs — and applause — from the theater-going crowd at its starry NYFF screening that saw Eisenberg, the cast, producer Emma Stone and even Claire Danes in attendance.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
The petition had garnered more than 12,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.

— Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of garner

Browse Nearby Words

acquirable

acquire

acquired

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Style

“Acquire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquire. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of acquire

verb

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