acquisition
/ˌakwɪˈzɪʃ(ə)n
/noun
1An asset or object bought or obtained, typically by a library or museum: the legacy will be used for new acquisitions...
- Among the museum's acquisitions, he discovered a piece of furniture that he had made 40 years before.
- I found a robin's egg while planting new acquisitions in the northeast bed.
- Jonny has just returned from a trip to Florida, successfully tying up the loose ends on the purchase of his latest acquisition.
Synonyms
purchase, accession, addition, asset;
buy, investment, possession, accretion;
property, goods
1.1A purchase of one company by another: there were many acquisitions among travel agents [mass noun]: the company intends to grow within itself rather than by acquisition...
- It takes a bit of time to generate the synergies that deliver the shareholder value added from acquisitions.
- Even fans of its stock don't think the acquisition will improve the insurer's profitability any time soon.
- The earnings growth was made up of a mix of contribution from acquisitions and organic growth.
1.2 [mass noun] The buying or obtaining of assets or objects: western culture places a high value on material acquisition...
- The acquisition of the fissile material is the single biggest ingredient in having a weapon.
- Material prosperity and acquisition of wealth add a new dimension to your social standing.
- On this first acquisition of business assets for treasury shares, it is clear that a prospectus was required.
Synonyms
obtaining, acquiring, gaining, gain, procuring, procurement, collecting, collection, attainment, appropriation, amassing
2 [mass noun] The learning or developing of a skill, habit, or quality: the acquisition of management skills...
- It also reveals that a number of early skills reliably predict reading acquisition long before school entry.
- The first set of five statements was about language acquisition and development.
- As children enter school, they bring diverse levels of language acquisition to the learning process.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'act of acquiring something'): from Latin acquisitio(n-), from the verb acquirere (see acquire).