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 ones efforts; I acquired a passing knowledge of Chinese; Gain an understanding of international finance

    [ Syn: win , gain ]

  6. 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 ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.