acquire

Word family

ac·quire /əˈkwaɪə $ əˈkwaɪr/ W2 AWL verb [transitiveT]

1 formalCOLLECTGET to obtain something by buying it or being given it 购得，得到

Manning hoped to acquire valuable works of art as cheaply as possible.

曼宁希望以尽可能低的价格买到有价值的艺术品。

5 She has acquired an email address and a site on the World Wide Web.

她获得了一个电子邮件地址和万维网网址。

n The council acquired the land using a compulsory purchase order.

► see thesaurus at buy

2 to get or gain something 取得，获得

The college acquired a reputation for very high standards.

那所学院以学术水平高而闻名。

In everyday English, people usually say get rather than acquire: 在日常英语中，人们一般说get，而不说acquire

Where did you get that tie?

你在哪儿买的那条领带？

He soon got a reputation for being unfriendly.

他的不友善很快便尽人皆知。

3 LEARNto gain knowledge or learn a skill 学到，获得〔知识、技能〕

He spent years acquiring his skills as a surgeon.

他花了许多年时间学习外科医生的技能。

Elsie acquired a good knowledge of Chinese.

埃尔茜汉语学得很好。

► see thesaurus at get

4 acquire a taste for something LIKE somebody OR somethingto begin to like something 开始喜欢某事物

She had acquired a taste for European beer.

她喜欢上了欧洲啤酒。

Examples from the Corpus

acquire a taste for something• Tod sins singly ... He has acquired a taste for alcohol and tobacco.• Perhaps you could acquire a taste for decaffeinated coffee or one of the many herb or fruit teas.• Americans have recently acquired a taste for gourmet coffee.• However, acquiring a taste for less salt may take time in order to become used to a low-salt taste.• It was too fizzy and too gassy to drink and I acquired a taste for real ale.• They feared that their troops might acquire a taste for such butchery and become no better than those they fought against.• I rarely drink in the week, and I've never acquired a taste for wine.

5. an acquired taste LIKE somebody OR somethingsomething that people only begin to like after they have tried it a few times 逐渐养成的爱好

Examples from the Corpus

an acquired taste• For many people, her dry humor is an acquired taste.• But the Moodies, propelled by pseudo-symphonic arrangements and mysticism, always were and always will be an acquired taste.• Much of this is actually linguistics, however - something of an acquired taste.• Protective poison, an acquired taste.• They are like sushi, maybe an acquired taste.• They are rich in proteins and vitamins of the B group, but they are an acquired taste.• Curry is an acquired taste and heavily spiced food is surely not suitable for the stomachs of very young children.• It is an acquired taste but very refreshing.• It is an acquired taste for sensitive palates but a lot of hungry people are only too happy to tuck in.

Examples from the Corpus

acquire• AC Transit recently acquired 70 new buses equipped with wheelchair lifts.• Others acquired a harder outer membrane to later become skin-like materials.• They acquired a Tucson resort in 1991 and a Hyatt hotel in Houston in 1992.• He has acquired an autonomy and influence staggering even by the standards of a country where anomalies are institutionalised.• Official prices were low, but you had to pay with time or bribes to actually acquire anything.• The statue was acquired at great expense by the City Corporation.• In 1998 the business was acquired by a Dutch company.• Once slated for thousands of homes, the Daley Ranch was acquired by the city for $ 21 million in January.• They acquired joint and exclusive occupation of the flat in consideration of periodical payments and they therefore acquired a tenancy jointly.• Research helps us acquire new insight on the causes of diseases.• Many inner cities have acquired reputations for violent crime.• The Boston Museum of Fine Arts has recently acquired several paintings by Salvador Dali.• NTN acquired the rights to broadcast game data from football games in 1987.• It took him a long time to acquire the skills he needed to become a professional artist.• Robinson spent $20 million to acquire the symphony hall.• What concerns them is the risk that engineered plants might acquire weedy traits and escape from cultivation.

From Longman Business Dictionary

acquireac·quire /əˈkwaɪəəˈkwaɪr/ verb [transitiveT]

1FINANCEto buy a company

The group wants to acquire the company for $18 a share.

2acquire a holding/an interest/a stakeFINANCE to buy part of a company

It has acquired a 50% stake in a French electronics retailer.

3to 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.

Origin acquire