acclaim
Americanverb (used with object)
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to welcome or salute with shouts or sounds of joy and approval; applaud.
to acclaim the conquering heroes.
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to announce or proclaim with enthusiastic approval.
to acclaim the new king.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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(tr) to acknowledge publicly the excellence of (a person, act, etc)
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to salute with cheering, clapping, etc; applaud
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(tr) to acknowledge publicly that (a person) has (some position, quality, etc)
they acclaimed him king
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has acclaimedperfect 3rd person singular
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have acclaimedperfect
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am acclaimingprogressive 1st person singular
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acclaimingparticiple
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has been acclaimingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are acclaimingprogressive
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is acclaimingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been acclaimingperfect progressive
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acclaimssingular 3rd person
Past
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had acclaimedperfect
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had been acclaimingperfect progressive
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were acclaimingprogressive plural
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was acclaimingprogressive singular
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acclaimedparticiple
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acclaimedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of acclaim
From the Latin word acclāmāre, dating back to 1630–40. See ac-, claim
Explanation
You know you've hit it big when you earn acclaim, or enthusiastic approval. And when you have achieved "critical acclaim," even the grouchy critics approve of you. The word acclaim comes from the Latin word acclamare, which means to cry out. So it only makes sense that the verb acclaim means to offer enthusiastic praise or applause. "The book was critically acclaimed, but most of the students found it to be stupefyingly boring."
Vocabulary lists containing acclaim
Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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The Unteachables
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The Crossover
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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.
Offering only a brief wave in acknowledgement of the acclaim, Williams was firmly focused on her first competitive match for 1,375 days.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Left, the founder of Citron Research, won acclaim on Wall Street after calling out problems at China Evergrande in 2012 and Valeant Pharmaceuticals in 2015.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
It is not yet three full years since an estimated 70,000 ecstatic fans turned out to acclaim West Ham's jubilant squad as they arrived back in east London with the Europa Conference League trophy.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
The restaurant, named for Cimarusti’s grandparents — Constance and Edward — opened to fanfare, acclaim and “feverish oyster shucking.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026
Berkeley attracted the most promising young graduate students, hosted the most eminent visiting lecturers, pocketed the largest contributions from research foundations and garnered the lion’s share of public interest and acclaim.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
