acquisition

acquisition — noun

1. the action of coming into possession of something, often something material or v

1.nounC1
Definition

the action of coming into possession of something, often something material or valuable that is added to what you already have.

Example

The museum spent two years on the acquisition of the rare Egyptian statue.

acquisition of + noun phrase

Mr. Patel devoted his retirement to the acquisition of antique pocket watches.

Common collocations
  • acquisition of land
  • acquisition of data
  • customer acquisition
  • land acquisition
Synonyms
  • obtaining

    more neutral and everyday than the formal 'acquisition'

  • procurement

    stresses an official or organised process, common in business

  • gain

    shorter and broader; often refers to profit or advantage

Antonyms
  • loss

    the opposite outcome — losing what you had

  • disposal

    getting rid of something rather than getting it

Grammar Patterns

acquisition of + noun

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'of' plus a noun phrase that names what is obtained. Distinguish from sense 2 (specifically about learning) and sense 4 (specifically about company or property purchase by a business).

Common Mistakes

The acquisition for the painting took six months.
The acquisition of the painting took six months.
use 'of', not 'for', to name what is being obtained.

2. the slow build-up of a skill, body of knowledge, or language inside a person's m

2.nounC1
Definition

the slow build-up of a skill, body of knowledge, or language inside a person's mind, usually through experience, study, or daily exposure rather than a single event.

Example

Researchers at the lab study how toddlers manage first-language acquisition before they turn three.

compound: language acquisition

Daily practice in the kitchen helped Maria with the acquisition of basic French cooking skills.

acquisition of + skill noun

Common collocations
  • language acquisition
  • knowledge acquisition
  • skill acquisition
  • vocabulary acquisition
  • second-language acquisition
Synonyms
  • learning

    the everyday word; less formal and used in any register

  • mastery

    stresses reaching a high level, while 'acquisition' is the process itself

Antonyms
  • loss

    as in language loss — forgetting a skill or language over time

Grammar Patterns

acquisition of + skill/knowledge/language

Usage Note

Subject of the action is usually a learner; the process unfolds gradually. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 is specifically about something learned and stored mentally, not about ownership. Common in academic and educational contexts ('language acquisition', 'second-language acquisition').

Common Mistakes

She had a quick acquisition of Japanese.
She picked up Japanese quickly.
'acquisition' here suggests a slow, gradual process, so 'quick' sounds odd; use a verb phrase instead.

3. an item that someone has just bought or obtained, especially a valuable one that

3.nounC1
Definition

an item that someone has just bought or obtained, especially a valuable one that joins a personal or institutional collection.

Example

Anna proudly showed off her latest acquisition, a hand-painted Italian teapot from the 1920s.

latest acquisition

The gallery's newest acquisition is a small bronze horse from ancient China.

Common collocations
  • latest acquisition
  • recent acquisition
  • new acquisition
  • prized acquisition
Synonyms
  • purchase

    any item bought, with no sense of being collected or specially valuable

  • addition

    stresses joining an existing set; common with 'to the collection'

Grammar Patterns

a/the [adj] acquisition

Usage Note

Countable in this sense (a/the/my latest acquisition; recent acquisitions). Subject of the possession is usually a person, museum, or library. Distinguish from sense 4, which is restricted to business deals (companies, land, buildings bought by a firm).

Common Mistakes

She bought a small acquisition at the market.
She bought a small souvenir at the market.
'acquisition' implies something special or valuable joining a collection, not a casual purchase.

4. the buying of a company, building, or piece of land by another company, or the c

4.nounC1
Definition

the buying of a company, building, or piece of land by another company, or the company or property bought in this kind of business deal.

Example

Toyota announced the acquisition of a small electric-vehicle startup based in Berlin.

acquisition of + company

The bakery chain made three acquisitions last year, opening shops in five new cities.

make + acquisitions (countable)

Common collocations
  • mergers and acquisitions
  • complete an acquisition
  • strategic acquisition
  • hostile acquisition
  • acquisition target
Synonyms
  • takeover

    often suggests the bought company resists or is bought against its will

  • buyout

    stresses paying off existing owners, sometimes by managers themselves

  • merger

    a more equal joining of two companies; not the same as one buying the other

Antonyms
  • divestment

    selling off a part of a company instead of buying one

  • spinoff

    splitting a part of a company into a separate firm

Grammar Patterns

acquisition of [company/asset]

make an acquisition

Usage Note

Subject is almost always a company or investor; object is a business asset (firm, brand, property). Often appears in the fixed phrase 'mergers and acquisitions' (M&A). Distinguish from sense 3, where the buyer is typically an individual or museum and the item is for a personal or cultural collection.

Common Mistakes

The acquisition between the two banks was approved.
The acquisition of the smaller bank by the larger one was approved.
use 'acquisition of X by Y', because one company buys the other (it isn't an equal pairing).

5. in publishing or media, permission (paid for by a company) to publish, distribut

5.nounC2
Definition

in publishing or media, permission (paid for by a company) to publish, distribute, or screen a specific book, film, or other creative work; also the deal in which that permission is bought.

Example

Penguin announced the acquisition of the English rights to the young Korean novelist's first book.

acquisition of [language] rights

Netflix's recent acquisitions include three documentaries from independent Brazilian directors.

Common collocations
  • acquisition of rights
  • film acquisition
  • title acquisition
  • acquisitions editor
Synonyms
  • rights deal

    more everyday phrasing in entertainment journalism

  • licensing

    stresses ongoing permission rather than full ownership of rights

Grammar Patterns

acquisition of [rights/title]

Usage Note

Specialist usage in book publishing, film, and TV. Object is typically rights, a title, or a work, not a physical item. Distinguish from sense 4 (whole companies) and sense 3 (collected objects). The 'acquisitions editor' in publishing is the person responsible for this kind of deal.

Common Mistakes

The studio bought the acquisition of the novel.
The studio completed the acquisition of the novel's film rights.
name what right is being acquired (film rights, English rights), not just the work itself.

Word family

  • acquire
    verbC1
  • acquired
    adjectiveC1
  • acquisitive
    adjectiveC2
  • acquisitiveness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe getting something, but they fit different scenes. 'Acquisition' is formal and stresses the result of a careful or significant process — a museum's acquisition of a rare painting, a company's acquisition of new technology. 'Purchase' is the everyday word for paying money for something, with no special weight: a small purchase at a corner shop, a large purchase like a fridge. 'Procurement' is heavier and more institutional; it suggests an official supply process, often by a government office or large company ('the procurement of medical supplies'). 'Gain' is the broadest and most neutral — it can be material or abstract, and may not involve money at all ('a gain in confidence', 'financial gain'). So you'd say 'the museum's acquisition of the statue', 'a quick purchase at the bakery', 'the army's procurement of new boots', and 'a clear gain in efficiency'.

acquisition ↗purchase ↗procurement ↗gain ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • acquisition target
  • acquisition cost
  • acquisition price
  • acquisitions editor
  • land acquisition
  • data acquisition

Adverbs

Phrases

  • mergers and acquisitions
  • language acquisition
  • customer acquisition
  • complete an acquisition
  • announce an acquisition

Prepositions

  • acquisition of
  • acquisition by
  • acquisition for (a price)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word entered English in the late 1300s from Old French 'acquisicion', which itself came from Latin 'acquisitio', a noun built on the verb 'acquirere' meaning 'to seek in addition' (from 'ad-' = to, toward + 'quaerere' = to seek or search for). The earliest English uses described both the act of getting something and the thing got. The modern business sense ('one company buying another') and the linguistic sense ('language acquisition') both grew out of the same core idea — 'something gained through effort' — and became common in the twentieth century.