Acquiring is the gerund or present participle form of acquire, meaning to come to possess or gain something through effort or action. In broader use, it can refer to the process of gaining knowledge, skills, or resources. The term emphasizes the ongoing or completed state of attaining ownership or familiarity, often in business, legal, or educational contexts.
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"The company is acquiring several smaller startups to expand its market reach."
"She is acquiring a new language through immersion and daily practice."
"The team is acquiring the necessary data before reporting results."
"He’s acquiring a taste for fine wines after years of tasting with mentors."
Acquire comes from Middle English acquerien, borrowed from Old French acquerre, which itself derives from the Vulgar Latin adcaptus, from Latin ad- ‘toward’ + captus ‘taken, seized.’ The semantic evolution moved from “to seize or obtain possession” to broader senses of gaining knowledge or skills. The verb form acquiring emerged as a gerund/participle around the 15th century in English, aligning with the productive -ing nominalization pattern. Over time, acquiring frequently collocates with nouns denoting tangible possession (assets, property) and intangible assets (knowledge, language, expertise). In contemporary usage, acquiring often carries a sense of process orientation—emphasizing developmental progression rather than instantaneous attainment—reflecting its economic and educational contexts where gradual accumulation is key. First known use appears in Middle English legal and mercantile texts, with translations and borrowings accelerating during the Renaissance as trade and formal education expanded. Modern dictionaries record acquiring as a common verb form used to describe ongoing action, continuous attainment, and dynamic capability development across sectors.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "acquiring" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "acquiring"
-ing sounds
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Pronounce as ə-ˈkwai-ring with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US /əˈkwaɪərɪŋ/, UK /əˈkwaɪərɪŋ/, AU /əˈkwaɪərɪŋ/. Start with a neutral schwa, then /ˈkwaɪ/ (like ‘why’ with k-w sound), followed by /ər/ and /ɪŋ/ in quick succession. Ensure the /kw/ cluster has a light but clear release and the /ɪŋ/ is softly pronounced rather than a hard nasal stop.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress as on the first syllable: say it with primary stress on the second syllable (ac-QUIR-ing). (2) Slurring /kwaɪ/ into /kwaɪ/ without a distinct /w/ onset: ensure a clean /kw/ blend. (3) Dropping the final -ing or making it /ɪŋ/ into a full syllable. Correction: maintain a light but audible -ɪŋ ending, with a quick, non-emphasized tongue tip closure for the nasal. Practice by isolating /ˈkwaɪ/ and then attaching /ər/ and /ɪŋ/ smoothly.
US: /əˈkwaɪəɹɪŋ/ with rhotic /ɹ/; UK: /əˈkwaɪə.rɪŋ/ non-rhotic tendency in many regions; AU: /əˈkwaɪəɹɪŋ/ similar to US but with a less pronounced /ɹ/ in some speakers. Key vowels: /aɪ/ diphthong remains stable; /ə/ at the start is a reduced vowel; the /ɹ/ may be more or less pronounced depending on rhoticity and connected speech. In fast speech, /ər/ can reduce to a schwa+.Rhoticity and vowel quality differences influence perceived accent but the core syllable boundary stays after /kwaɪə/.
The difficulty centers on the fast transition from /ə/ to /ˈkwaɪ/ and then to /ər/ and /ɪŋ/, creating a multi-phoneme sequence with a diphthong and a trailing -ing. The /kw/ cluster requires precise lip rounding and back tongue positioning, while /ɪŋ/ can mask preceding vowel quality in rapid speech. Additionally, stress on the second syllable means you must hold a strong, clear /ˈkwaɪ/ diphthong before a lighter /ərɪŋ/ tail. Practicing in slow, deliberate syllable-by-syllable steps helps stabilize the sequence.
Yes. The transition from /kwaɪ/ to /ər/ involves a subtle palatal or alveolar glide before the rhotic or non-rhotic /ɹ/. In careful speech, you’ll hear a brief palatal movement as you move from /ɪ/ to /ər/; in faster speech, this can blur into a smoother /ɪrə/ or /ɪr/ sequence. To optimize intelligibility, maintain a crisp /kwaɪ/ onset with a clear /ə/ before the /ər/ segment, and avoid collapsing the /ɹ/ into the preceding syllable.
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