acquisition

noun

ac·​qui·​si·​tion ˌa-kwə-ˈzi-shən How to pronounce acquisition (audio)
plural acquisitions
1
: the act of acquiring something
acquisition of property
the acquisition of knowledge
2
: something or someone acquired or gained
The team announced two new acquisitions.
acquisitional adjective
acquisitor noun

Examples of acquisition in a Sentence

Steven Schwartzman, the billionaire CEO of Blackstone, suffers no personal liquidity problems. But his firm, and others like it—have had to call off a series of proposed acquisitions because they can't get financing. Daniel Gross, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2008
The gifting of books, too, endured as a legacy of our book hunting. I quickly learned not to ask for newly published books as birthday or Christmas presents, since they provided my father with too little of a challenge. The measure of a gift's value was the amount of thought and effort that went into its acquisition. Charles Mitchell, Bloomsbury Review, November/December 2002
McKnight and Ward, free-agent acquisitions who each have only one full season as a starter, have brought much-needed speed to the position. But rookie Chris Chambers, a second-round draft pick from Wisconsin, is the jewel. Jeffri Chadiha, Sports Illustrated, 1 Oct. 2000
the country's acquisition of new ships The big company's newest acquisition is a small chain of clothing stores. The museum has put its latest acquisitions on display.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
After losing outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Mets, the New York Yankees made multiple acquisitions in hopes of returning to the World Series in 2025. John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025 MedTech sales growth was led by the cardiovascular business, up 24% y-o-y to $2.1 billion, led by the impact of the Shockwave Medical acquisition in May last year. Trefis Team, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025 The company did not raise any capital during the quarter and continues to focus on its business plan, which includes acquisitions of operating companies. Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025 Earlier, Tauber was executive vp acquisitions and business/legal affairs at Columbia TriStar Pictures. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for acquisition 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English adquysicyoun, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French acquisition, borrowed from Latin acquīsītiōn-, acquīsītiō, from acquīsī- (variant stem of acquīrere "to acquire") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of acquisition was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near acquisition

Cite this Entry

“Acquisition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquisition. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

acquisition

noun
ac·​qui·​si·​tion ˌak-wə-ˈzish-ən How to pronounce acquisition (audio)
1
: the act of acquiring
2
: something acquired

Legal Definition

acquisition

noun
ac·​qui·​si·​tion ˌa-kwə-ˈzi-shən How to pronounce acquisition (audio)
1
: the act or action of acquiring
specifically : the obtaining of controlling interest in a company compare merger, takeover
2
: a thing gained or acquired

More from Merriam-Webster on acquisition

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