These words refer to coming into possession of something. Get is the most general of these, with a wide range of uses that includes every situation discussed here; it can apply as well to forceful seizure as to passive reception: The Mounties always get their man; getting the joke after everyone else in the room was in hysterics. The use of get in idiomatic phrases is, of course, manifold, and since some of these idioms may be informal, some feel the need to replace it wherever possible with obtain . Obtain is certainly more formal, but as a mere substitute for get it often may sound high-flown or pretentious: getting her to sign the paper; obtaining her signature on the paper urging people over 40 to get a medical check-up; recommending that mature persons obtain a medical examination annually if not more frequently. Obtain is more precisely used in formal contexts where the stress is on the seeking out of something; here, get might not indicate clearly enough his intended meaning: an unmanned spacecraft that could obtain soil samples from the moon.

Gain goes beyond obtain to indicate greater effort in the seeking process; it can indicate forceful seizure, as in the military sense: gaining the victory after bloody battle. The word can also suggest an increase in something already possessed, or a piece-by-piece process of obtaining something: gaining additional honours with each new book he published; gaining ground on the speeding car. Acquire points to a piecemeal process of possession that is continuous and often slow: acquiring a controlling interest in the company over several years of stock purchases; assiduously acquiring a fine collection of impressionist paintings. As in these cases, the word is often used in a context of financial transactions. Acquire can also suggest the effort or exposure required to gain less tangible things, as in the learning process: wishing to acquire a speaking knowledge of French; surprised that he had actually acquired a taste for artichokes.

Procure implies manoeuvring to posses something, suggesting involved, contrived or even shady dealings. Thus the word’s tone ranges from neutrality to disapproval: the complicated requisition forms by which the Ordnance Corps procures needed supplies; procuring favours through those closest to influential people. Most specifically, the word can pertain to the act of pimping, that is, obtaining women to gratify the lust of others: a man who procured prostitutes for sailors in waterfront bars. This meaning of the word is often present as an overtone in its other uses.