acknowledgment
Americannoun
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an act of acknowledging.
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recognition of the existence or truth of something.
the acknowledgment of a sovereign power.
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an expression of appreciation.
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a thing done or given in appreciation or gratitude.
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Law.
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a declaration before an official that one has executed a particular legal document.
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an official certificate of a formal acknowledging.
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public recognition by a man of an illegitimate child as his own.
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noun
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the act of acknowledging or state of being acknowledged
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something done or given as an expression of thanks, as a reply to a message, etc
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(plural) an author's statement acknowledging his use of the works of other authors, usually printed at the front of a book
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of acknowledgment
First recorded in 1585–95; acknowledge + -ment
Explanation
When you recognize or admit the truth of something, you make an acknowledgment. Your grumpy friend who never gets enough sleep? He needs to make an acknowledgment of what his late nights are doing to his mood. Other kinds of acknowledgments give credit where it's due. Research papers that quote other people's words or ideas contain acknowledgments that name the source. Publicly thanking someone is another kind of acknowledgment. Award winners at the Oscars and other ceremonies often rattle off a big list of names, acknowledgement for their contribution to the winner's success.
Vocabulary lists containing acknowledgment
Lesson 1
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"Amigo Brothers" and "Lean on Me"
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The Tale of Despereaux
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the December 30, 2025, print edition as 'The Professor’s Sly ‘Land Acknowledgment’'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
Acknowledgment of the problem by developers has been limited to a couple of reply tweets last week and one Monday afternoon saying the team is continuing to investigate.
From The Verge • Jun. 28, 2022
Acknowledgment of a combined bid comes after The Washington Post reported in January that the D.C. area’s hopes of staging a portion of the tournament were in jeopardy because of FIFA’s issues with FedEx Field.
From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2022
The document SMU is requiring its athletes to sign is much more direct: Acknowledgment of Risk for COVID-19 Summer 2020.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 20, 2020
To encourage this, I know some that intend to let Land for a small Acknowledgment in Wine.
From The Present State of Virginia by Jones, Hugh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
