acquisition
noun
ac·qui·si·tion
ˌa-kwə-ˈzi-shən 
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.
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.
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
And the relatively minor acquisition could be something as basic as the recent claims of Austin Slater and Andy Ibáñez off waivers, or something else that Stearns does in the coming weeks to augment the lineup, perhaps on the infield with the injuries to Lindor, Mauricio and Polanco.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 4 May 2026
The deal followed the acquisition of a 40 percent stake in Langosteria Holding Srl in 2018, which operates the tony seafood restaurants first opened in Milan in 2007 by Enrico Buonocore.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 4 May 2026
The funding announced on May 1, 2026 reportedly covers engineering services and data acquisition systems used to capture high-fidelity telemetry during missile test launches.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 May 2026
As if the acquisitions of veterans Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks didn’t signal EVP/GM Howie Roseman’s intent to move on from Brown – likely next month, when the salary cap softens the team’s contractual hit – then certainly the trade up for Makai Lemon in Round 1 of the draft did.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for acquisition
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Tim Britton, New York Times, 4 May 2026
The deal followed the acquisition of a 40 percent stake in Langosteria Holding Srl in 2018, which operates the tony seafood restaurants first opened in Milan in 2007 by Enrico Buonocore.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 4 May 2026
The funding announced on May 1, 2026 reportedly covers engineering services and data acquisition systems used to capture high-fidelity telemetry during missile test launches.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 May 2026
As if the acquisitions of veterans Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks didn’t signal EVP/GM Howie Roseman’s intent to move on from Brown – likely next month, when the salary cap softens the team’s contractual hit – then certainly the trade up for Makai Lemon in Round 1 of the draft did.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for acquisition
Cite this Entry
“Acquisition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquisition. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
acquisition
noun
ac·qui·si·tion
ˌak-wə-ˈzish-ən
1
: the act of acquiring
2
: something acquired
Legal Definition
acquisition
noun
ac·qui·si·tion
ˌa-kwə-ˈzi-shən
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