acquihire

== English == === Alternative forms === acqhire, acq-hire, acquhire, acqu-hire, acqui-hire === Etymology === Coined by Rex Hammock in 2005 as acqhire, blend of acquire +‎ hire, in reference to acquisition of Dodgeball.com by Google. Hammock subsequently worked to popularize the word. Spelling inconsistent, particularly to difficulty in pronunciation (/ak-hire/), leading to longer variants. === Pronunciation === (General American) IPA(key): /əkˈhaɪɚ/ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əkˈhaɪə/ === Verb === acquihire (third-person singular simple present acquihires, present participle acquihiring, simple past and past participle acquihired) (business slang, transitive) To acquire a company, in particular a small startup, to recruit its employees, rather than for its products or services. === Noun === acquihire (plural acquihires) (business slang) An acquisition of a company to recruit its employees, rather than for its products or services. === References ===