acquisition

/ˌækwɪˈzɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌækwɪˈzɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌa-kwə-ˈzi-shən/ (ame, mw)

acquisition — 名詞

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

1.名詞C1
釋義

獲得；取得

得到某項物品或權利的行為

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

例句

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

博物館花了兩年時間，才完成那座稀有埃及雕像的取得。

acquisition of + noun phrase

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

Patel 先生退休後，把心力都投入在古董懷錶的收藏與獲得上。

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • loss

    the opposite outcome — losing what you had

  • disposal

    getting rid of something rather than getting it

文法句型

acquisition of + noun

用法筆記

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).

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞C1
釋義

習得；學會

經由學習逐漸掌握技能或知識

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.

例句

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

實驗室的研究人員在研究幼兒三歲前如何完成第一語言的習得。

compound: language acquisition

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

每天在廚房練習，幫助 Maria 學會了基本的法式烹飪技巧。

acquisition of + skill noun

同義詞
  • learning

    the everyday word; less formal and used in any register

  • mastery

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

反義詞
  • loss

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

文法句型

acquisition of + skill/knowledge/language

用法筆記

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').

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞C1
釋義

新入手物品

剛買到、加入收藏的特別物品

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

例句

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

Anna 得意地展示她最新入手的物品——一個 1920 年代手繪的義大利茶壺。

latest acquisition

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

畫廊最新收藏的一件作品，是來自中國古代的小型青銅馬。

同義詞
  • purchase

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

  • addition

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

文法句型

a/the [adj] acquisition

用法筆記

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).

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞C1
釋義

收購；併購

公司買下另一家公司或資產

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.

例句

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

Toyota 宣布收購一家位於柏林的小型電動車新創公司。

acquisition of + company

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

去年那家連鎖麵包店進行了三件收購案，並在五個新城市開店。

make + acquisitions (countable)

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • divestment

    selling off a part of a company instead of buying one

  • spinoff

    splitting a part of a company into a separate firm

文法句型

acquisition of [company/asset]

make an acquisition

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞C2
釋義

版權買進

出版或影視業買下作品的發行權

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.

例句

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

Penguin 宣布買下那位年輕韓國小說家首部作品的英文版權。

acquisition of [language] rights

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

Netflix 近期買進的作品包括三部巴西獨立導演拍攝的紀錄片。

同義詞
  • rights deal

    more everyday phrasing in entertainment journalism

  • licensing

    stresses ongoing permission rather than full ownership of rights

文法句型

acquisition of [rights/title]

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.