was recently acquired

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "was recently acquired" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something, such as a company or asset, has been purchased or taken over in the near past. Example: "The software company was recently acquired by a larger tech firm, signaling a shift in the industry."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Her most recent position was product lead at Drip, which was recently acquired by Kickstarter.

TechCrunch

NBC was recently acquired by Comcast.

The New York Times

Turi was recently acquired by Apple.

University of California, Berkeley

Our Sports feeds provider ESA was recently acquired by Opta.

The Guardian

The company was recently acquired by Plessey Semiconductors.

MIT Technology Review

It was recently acquired by Exelon, of Chicago.

The New York Times

AREA was recently acquired by an investment company.

The New York Times

The play was recently acquired by the Beinecke Rare Book….

The New Yorker

Cornell Tech alumni startup Trigger Finance was recently acquired by Circle Pay.

Cornell University

It is not known whether Mohr's infection was recently acquired or was old and recently reactivated.

The Washington Post

(The company behind SCHAFT, the top-performing robot so far, was recently acquired by Google).

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Clearly state both the entity that was acquired and the acquiring entity for clarity. This avoids ambiguity and provides essential information to the reader.

Common error

Avoid using "was recently acquired" when the acquisition happened more than a year ago, unless you explicitly state "less than two years ago". The term "recently" is subjective and can mislead readers if not qualified.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "was recently acquired" functions as a passive construction indicating that the subject of the sentence underwent a change in ownership or control. It describes a completed action in the recent past. Ludwig AI identifies it as grammatically correct and commonly used.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

59%

Academia

25%

Formal & Business

16%

Less common in

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "was recently acquired" is a grammatically correct and very common phrase used to describe a recent change in ownership or control. As Ludwig AI indicates, this phrase is frequently found in News & Media, Academia, and Formal & Business contexts. When using this phrase, ensure that the timeframe is indeed recent and clearly specify what was acquired and by whom. While generally neutral, the formality level can shift depending on the context. Avoid using it for acquisitions that happened long ago, and consider alternative phrasings like "was recently obtained" or "has been newly purchased" for slight variations in meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was recently obtained

Replaces "acquired" with "obtained" while maintaining the original structure

has been newly purchased

Focuses on the act of purchasing rather than the broader concept of acquisition.

has been newly obtained

Replaces "acquired" with a more general term for gaining possession.

was taken over by

Emphasizes the aspect of control being seized by a new owner.

was just bought out

More informal and emphasizes the transfer of control through a buyout.

is under new ownership

Highlights the state of changed ownership, rather than the act of acquiring.

became a subsidiary of

Highlights the resulting relationship where one entity is controlled by another.

passed into new hands

A more figurative way to express the change in ownership.

merged with

Suggests a combination of two entities into one, which is a type of acquisition.

was freshly incorporated

Refers to the legal process of establishing a business as a new entity after acquisition.

FAQs

What is an alternative to the phrase "was recently acquired"?

You can use phrases like "was recently obtained", "has been newly purchased", or "was taken over by" depending on the context.

How do I use "was recently acquired" in a sentence?

Ensure you specify what "was recently acquired" and by whom. For example: "The company was recently acquired by a larger corporation."

Is it correct to say "is recently acquired"?

No, "is recently acquired" is grammatically incorrect. The correct phrasing is "was recently acquired" (past tense) or "is being acquired" (present continuous tense).

What's the difference between "was acquired" and "was recently acquired"?

"Was acquired" simply indicates that an acquisition happened at some point in the past, while "was recently acquired" specifies that the acquisition happened in the near past.