- acquire
- acquire ac‧quire [əˈkwaɪə ǁ əˈkwaɪr] verb [transitive]1. FINANCE to buy a company:
• The group wants to acquire the company for $18 a share.
2. acquire a holding/an interest/a stake FINANCE to buy part of a company:• It has acquired a 50% stake in a French electronics retailer.
3. to get something, especially something important or valuable:• The course makes it possible for workers to acquire new skills.
• It has recently acquired the rights to hold Formula One races in Britain.
• The retailer has acquired a reputation for low prices and efficient service.
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acquire UK US /əˈkwaɪər/ verb [T]► to buy or take control of a company or part of a company, often by buying shares in it: »They acquired a chain of about 20 phone shops.
acquire control/ownership of sth »He had just acquired control of the New York Times.
be acquired by sb/sth »Mutual of New York was later acquired by French insurance conglomerate AXA.
»Many checkout staff acquired shares in the company.
► MARKETING to get the legal right to use or do something: acquire rights to sth »The broadcaster did not disclose exactly how it acquired rights to the material.
► to get something that is important to your business: »We've acquired a million new customers in a year.
»It's a good time to acquire new talent.
► WORKPLACE to get something that is important to you in your job: »Aptitude tests attempt to judge a person's ability to acquire new skills.
Financial and business terms. 2012.