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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
procure
verb
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Alice offered pamphlets and books, which she would procure for him.
▪ He returned briefly to the Commonwealth's service, but retired when the Restoration became inevitable and procured a royal pardon.
▪ He therefore persuaded a friend to procure him a ticket without disclosing his identity.
▪ If the borrowing member does not produce a basic valuation, then the building society must procure one itself.
▪ Miscarriages procured in this way often led to death or malformed births.
▪ Or try vinegar, which can be tricky to procure, but complements many of the dumplings.
▪ The circumstances of their procuring silk stuffs at a cheap rate is favourable to this propensity.
▪ They had been procured in the early years of the century through a carefully orchestrated city campaign.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Procure

Procure \Pro*cure"\, v. i.

  1. To pimp.
    --Shak.

  2. To manage business for another in court. [Scot.]

Procure

Procure \Pro*cure"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Procured; p. pr. & vb. n. Procuring.] [F. procurer, L. procurare, procuratum, to take care of; pro for + curare to take care, fr. cura care. See Cure, and cf. Proctor, Proxy.]

  1. To bring into possession; to cause to accrue to, or to come into possession of; to acquire or provide for one's self or for another; to gain; to get; to obtain by any means, as by purchase or loan.

    If we procure not to ourselves more woe.
    --Milton.

  2. To contrive; to bring about; to effect; to cause.

    By all means possible they procure to have gold and silver among them in reproach.
    --Robynson (More's Utopia) .

    Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall.
    --Shak.

  3. To solicit; to entreat. [Obs.]

    The famous Briton prince and faery knight, . . . Of the fair Alma greatly were procured To make there longer sojourn and abode.
    --Spenser.

  4. To cause to come; to bring; to attract. [Obs.]

    What unaccustomed cause procures her hither?
    --Shak.

  5. To obtain for illicit intercourse or prostitution.

    Syn: See Attain.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
procure

c.1300, "bring about, cause, effect," from Old French procurer "care for, be occupied with; bring about, cause; acquire, provide" (13c.) and directly from Late Latin procurare "manage, take care of;" from pro- "in behalf of" (see pro-) + curare "care for" (see cure (v.)). Main modern sense "obtain; recruit" (late 14c.) is via "take pains to get" (mid-14c.). Meaning "to obtain (women) for sexual gratification" is attested from c.1600. Related: Procured; procuring.

Wiktionary
procure

vb. 1 (context transitive English) To acquire or obtain. 2 (context transitive English) To obtain a person as a prostitute for somebody else. 3 (context transitive criminal law English) To induce or persuade someone to do something. 4 (context obsolete English) To contrive; to bring about; to effect; to cause. 5 (context obsolete English) To solicit; to entreat. 6 (context obsolete English) To cause to come; to bring; to attract.

WordNet
procure
  1. v. get by special effort; "He procured extra cigarettes even though they were rationed" [syn: secure]

  2. arrange for sexual partners for others [syn: pander, pimp]

Usage examples of "procure".

In 1717, when Addison became principal secretary of state in England, he procured for Budgell the place of accountant and comptroller-general of the revenue in Ireland.

However, some people less addicted to allopathic treatment, consider that three drops of blood drawn by a needle, will be sufficient to procure release.

I would have secreted them away and procured your annulment before you had even arrived.

Will the people live under a government where antimonial powders cannot be procured?

Tormod Lagarde had finally proved too much for him, and when Alston had learned that she was still enamored, he had procured more belladonna from some other doctor, in the city, poured it into the cordial, and left it to do its work.

During this transaction the ladies were conducted to a tavern not far off, where dinner was bespoke, that they might be at hand to see the effect of their charity, which was not confined to what we have already described, but extended so far, that, in a little time, the apartment was comfortably furnished, and the young creature provided with change of apparel, and money to procure the necessaries of subsistence.

What becomes, think you, of the braw commission of the Privy Council that Chasehope had the procuring of?

The extrajudicial opinion of the judges in the case of ship money had been procured by his intrigues, persuasions, and even menaces.

De Montaigne has the opportunity of procuring him a diplomatic situation, which may not again occur--and--but you know the man--what shall we do?

The Financial Action Task Force, a multilateral government organization dedicated to standard setting, focused on money laundering, particularly as it related to crimes such as drug trafficking and large-scale fraud that involved vast amounts of illegally procured money.

Sir Wilfred Lawson observed, that notwithstanding the great things we had done for the crown of Spain, and the favours we had procured for the royal family of that kingdom, little or no satisfaction had as yet been received for the injuries our merchants had sustained from that nation.

I immediately offered to procure a good company at my expense, if the boxes were at once subscribed for, and the monopoly of the faro bank granted to me.

Suor Maria Celeste, for her part, had no better luck procuring the tiny ortolan buntings that Galileo craved and could not get in Siena.

Six Shillings a bottle--A Settler near Parramatta having procured a small still from England, obtained a deleterious and mischievous spirit from his Wheat, which he found more profitable than carrying it to the public store, and selling it for ten Shillings per bushell.

All that was left for me to procure was a store of candles, some phosphorous matches, ink, and pens.