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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acclaimsimple
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acclaimssimple
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have acclaimedperfect
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has acclaimedperfect
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am acclaimingprogressive
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are acclaimingprogressive
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is acclaimingprogressive
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have been acclaimingperfect progressive
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has been acclaimingperfect progressive
Past
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acclaimedsimple
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had acclaimedperfect
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was acclaimingprogressive
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were acclaimingprogressive
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had been acclaimingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Back then, at a vote held in Kigali, Rwanda, the support for him was so overwhelming that he was ushered back into office by acclaim, with a storming round of applause replacing a formal vote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
So when the 21-year-old took the acclaim of an ecstatic Emirates Arena crowd after being announced as the Glasgow 2026 all-around champion, it was all he had ever dreamed of and so much more.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The idea is to help showcase films that received critical acclaim, but did not secure distribution or acquisition deals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Meanwhile, for all of the paper’s popular acclaim, many fellow scientists say “Wedges” missed its target.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
They stepped forward to save lives and relieve suffering, and did so without thought of receiving individual acclaim.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
When Mr. Marx acclaims “Old Town Road” as an “incredible homegrown feat,” he praises what he damns elsewhere as the second sickness of our age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
In a review headlined “Flaunting It,” New York Times book critic Christopher Lehmann-Haupt wrote, “George Lois may be nearly as great a genius of mass communication as he acclaims himself to be.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2022
There are countless ways to get B’s and C’s without building the “creativity, leadership and teamwork skills” that Mr. Grant rightly acclaims.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2018
Each midwinter Science acclaims outstanding workers in schools, factories and offices by means of medals, prizes, publicity.
From Time Magazine Archive
Still the sea that salutes us free proclaims them stricken, acclaims thee crowned ....
From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald
Prabhakar had assigned “Bettering Myself,” a short story by acclaimed author Ottessa Moshfegh, in her Freshman English II course.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
He appeared in all six seasons of the critically acclaimed show, despite his character being killed off in the second series.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Earlier this week, Joyce Carol Oates panned Wilson’s critique of Christopher Nolan’s big-screen adaptation, and now acclaimed author and journalist Susan Orlean has entered the chat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Wilson -- behind an acclaimed translation which Nolan has praised -- generated headlines this week after penning a scathing critique of his screenplay.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Nearly a decade later, in December 1939, the acclaimed newspaper reporter Ernie Pyle stopped at La Tuna prison, near El Paso, Texas.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Pundits worldwide were united in acclaiming it as one of the best England performances of all time, if not the very best.
From Reuters ● Nov. 2, 2019
But that had not prevented others from acclaiming him as a hero.
From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2018
World golf had barely cleared its throat in acclaiming Rory McIlroy as the game's most coruscating star when Jordan Spieth entered the picture, humble as you please, lethal as you like.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2015
He had celebrated Lampard's opener with gusto, enflaming the fans' ire in the process, but No 200 was a goal worth acclaiming.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 17, 2013
Wherever his carriage made its public appearance it was sure to be followed by an admiring and acclaiming crowd.
From A History of the Four Georges and of William IV, Volume IV by McCarthy, Justin H. (Justin Huntly)
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.
