1. The gaining of possession or control over something ( acquisition of the target company’s as-sets).
2. Something acquired (a valuable acquisition).
creeping acquisition. The gradual purchase of a corporation’s stock at varying prices on the open market. • As a takeover method, a creeping acquisition does not involve a formal tender offer, although the SEC may classify it as such for regulatory purposes.
— Also termed creeping tender offer.
derivative acquisition. An acquisition obtained from another, as by sale or gift.
new acquisition. An estate not originating from descent, devise, or gift from the parental or maternal line of the owner. • For example, an estate acquired from a nonrelative is a new acquisition. See nonancestral estate under ESTATE (1).
original acquisition. An acquisition that has never been the property of anyone else, such as a copyright owned by an author.
