acquire
verb [ T ]
uk/əˈkwaɪər/ usto buy or take control of a company or part of a company, often by buying shares in it:
They acquired a chain of about 20 phone shops.
acquire control/ownership of sth He had just acquired control of the New York Times.
be acquired by sb/sth Mutual of New York was later acquired by French insurance conglomerate AXA.
Many checkout staff acquired shares in the company.
MARKETING
to get the legal right to use or do something:
acquire rights to sth The broadcaster did not disclose exactly how it acquired rights to the material.
to get something that is important to your business:
We've acquired a million new customers in a year.
It's a good time to acquire new talent.
WORKPLACE
to get something that is important to you in your job:
Aptitude tests attempt to judge a person's ability to acquire new skills.