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 Facebook had just acquired Instagram, Snapchat was barely two and TikTok was years in the future. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026 Many of them would likely have been better served by fictional films inspired by real-life figures, rather than being a slave to real-life events and the compromises involved with acquiring life rights. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2026 The Yankees are acquiring a right-handed hitting backstop with ties to their catching director and the Minnesota Twins. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026 The Sox acquired the right-handed reliever from the New York Mets for minor-league pitchers Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for acquire

Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquire

Verb

The hurricane center has given it 50% odds of developing in the next seven days, and 30% odds over the next 48 hours as of Thursday.

— Robin Webb, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, a company has developed surf booties that claim to be barb-resistant — though swimmers are urged to still tread lightly to avoid trampling the rays.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of develop

Verb

The courses, Cristerna said, would have been useful in learning how to negotiate brand deals, maximize monetization opportunities and cultivate and keep an audience.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Newly interested in landscape design, Kim’s mother also cultivated the property’s garden, grooming its old red pine tree and planting the grounds with tulips, chrysanthemums, and daisies.

— Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of cultivate

Verb

Huckabee noted that this partnership played out in a variety of areas, including military cooperation, especially as both worked to stop the Iranian regime from gaining nuclear arms.

— Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
The practice gained prominence under successive state administrations, with governments providing couples with wedding necessities and financial assistance.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of gain

Verb

In the last few years, Penn State’s singular focus – to win a national championship – clouded everything else.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
The club was rebuilding after the 1958 Munich air disaster but won a first post-Munich trophy, the FA Cup, earlier that year.

— Andy Mitten, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of win

Verb

Los Angeles gave up three promising prospects for what might be a short-term rental of the 29-year-old Skubal, who will likely reap the benefits of free agency this winter.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Unsurprisingly, firms reaping profits from the AI boom steal the show.

— Naazneen Karmali, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of reap

Verb

To test the idea, Delmau obtained a small sample of waste solution from an ongoing production campaign.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
Photos obtained by the New York Post show some injured people being carried away on stretchers and several others returning to the dock after the incident.

— Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of obtain

Verb

The men’s World Cup showed that brands do not need to spend millions of dollars on becoming an official partner to garner attention.

— Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Lindell garnered national attention in the aftermath of the 2020 election as a prominent election denier.

— Connor Greene, Time, 12 Aug. 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 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of acquire

verb

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