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

acquire \acquire"\, 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
see also:
acquired acquiring quest obtain 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

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
see also:
get assume adopt take on take grow 
develop produce win gain lose 
learn larn evolve 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

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

Acquire >> A Words
Acquire, definition of term: Acquire
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