# acquire

> English word · Verb · IPA /əˈkwaɪɚ/ · frequency rank #5,752

## Definitions
1. To get.
2. To gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own.
3. To become affected by an illness.
4. To sample signals and convert them into digital values.
5. To begin tracking a mobile target with a particular detector or sight, generally with the implication that an attack on the target thereby becomes possible.

## Etymology
From Middle English acqueren, from Old French aquerre, from Latin acquirō; ad- + quaerō (“to seek for”). See quest.

## Easily confused with
- **acquit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/acquire-vs-acquit)
- **acquired** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/acquire-vs-acquired)

## Common misspellings (9)
`accquire`, `acqiure`, `acqquire`, `acquier`, `acquirre`, `acqurie`, `acuqire`, `aqcuire`, `caquire`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/acquire