Both can mean “to get” or “to acquire,” and in some situations can be used synonymously, but one or the other might be more appropriate depending on what is being acquired and how.

OBTAINING meaning: 1. present participle of obtain 2. to get something, especially by asking for it, buying it…. Learn more.

OBTAIN definition: to come into possession of; get, acquire, or procure, as through an effort or by a request. See examples of obtain used in a sentence.

Definition of obtain verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

1. to come into possession of; get, acquire, or procure, as through effort or request. 2. Obs. to attain or reach. 3. to be prevalent, customary, or in vogue: the morals that obtained in Rome. 4. Archaic. to …

Used when referring to the process of actively working towards getting something, usually after effort or a formal process. He is working hard towards obtaining his master's degree. The company struggled …

To obtain something means to get it or achieve it. He was trying to obtain a false passport.

acquire:[~ + object] to obtain a driver's license. to be common or customary, esp. so as to be in force or to exist in a particular place or time:[no object; usually: not be + ~ -ing] the morals that obtained in …

They've obtained [= acquired] the necessary permission to enter. These ideas no longer obtain for our generation. The drug is legally obtainable in this country.

Synonyms for OBTAINING: earning, gaining, winning, reaping, making, garnering, getting, attaining; Antonyms of OBTAINING: losing, granting, giving, paying, according, forfeiting, yielding, giving up