Acquired water occupant needed, for starters (3)
I believe the answer is:
won
'acquired' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'water occupant needed for starters' is the wordplay.
'for starters' says to take the initial letters.
The initial letters of 'water occupant needed' is 'WON'.
(Other definitions for won that I've seen before include "little cash in Korea" , "Came first" , "prevailed" , "Gained a victory" , "Korean currency, was victorious" .)