acquiesce
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
Usage
The use of to after acquiesce was formerly regarded as incorrect, but is now acceptable
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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acquiescencenoun
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acquiescentadjective
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nonacquiescingadjective
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acquiescentlyadverb
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acquiescinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acquiescesimple
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acquiescessimple
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have acquiescedperfect
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has acquiescedperfect
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am acquiescingprogressive
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are acquiescingprogressive
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is acquiescingprogressive
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have been acquiescingperfect progressive
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has been acquiescingperfect progressive
Past
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acquiescedsimple
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had acquiescedperfect
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was acquiescingprogressive
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were acquiescingprogressive
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had been acquiescingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of acquiesce
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin acquiēscere “to find rest in, ” equivalent to ac- ac- + quiē- + -sc- inchoative suffix + -ere infinitive suffix
Explanation
To acquiesce is to agree to something or to give in. If your kid sister is refusing to hand over the television remote, you hope she acquiesces before your favorite show comes on. The verb acquiesce comes from the Latin word acquiescere, meaning “to rest.” If you “rest” or become passive in the face of something to which you object, you are giving tacit agreement. In other words, you acquiesce. If you want to go hiking with your family and your children are not interested, it will be a very tough day on the trail until they acquiesce.
Vocabulary lists containing acquiesce
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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The Declaration of Independence
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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:
Sometimes, it’s easier to say “no” to a request than to resist someone pulling at your heartstrings to acquiesce to their wishes.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
Amodei said on Thursday he would rather stop working with the Pentagon than acquiesce to such threats.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
The social compact that endured since that trauma was that Iranians would acquiesce to hardship and restrictions in return for a strong state that protects them from foreign attack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
While Disney is said to have been adamant that he didn’t want his park to be a coaster haven, he could acquiesce for the right, story-driven project, as evidenced by the 1950s creation the Matterhorn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025
They are deceiv’d that acquiesce to things which they have heard, and believe not what they have seen.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
“Their relationship is interesting, because the second that Olivia is around her big sister in person, she actually acquiesces to her,” Olagundoye says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2024
Then he acquiesces: "The main aim is to try to make a superhero film in Hollywood."
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2023
My son acquiesces to her to avoid arguments.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2022
The key, she says, is looking for a visual clue — something she acquiesces is tougher for home cooks who "didn't grow up making mayonnaise with a wooden spoon, like grandma taught you."
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2022
The other requisite for pleasure is on the part of the appetitive power, which acquiesces in the pleasurable object, and rests therein, offering, as it were, to enfold it within itself.
From Summa Theologica, Part I-II (Pars Prima Secundae) From the Complete American Edition by Thomas, Aquinas, Saint
He made a case to your grandmother to reduce your inheritance to 10% from one-third and she acquiesced.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Motion Picture Association and the U.S. ambassador to Canada had pressed the country to change the policy, and the government acquiesced late Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
Grohl also had an ideal music-taste mentor in her father, who told his eldest all about Björk and acquiesced to playing Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” on repeat.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
It felt like he had that level of power, and everyone essentially acquiesced and you had this sort of anticipatory obedience.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
We all acquiesced, but no one spoke; there was no need to speak:—
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Big banks have already been acquiescing to Musk’s unusual demands, including paying up front for Grok subscriptions, thus juicing SpaceX’s flagging A.I. revenue.
From Slate ● May 15, 2026
That said, you are not wrong or rude for not acquiescing to their every suggestion.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 26, 2025
Although Red Bull had already decided to ditch Perez, he was reluctant to leave and his management sought the best possible compensation agreement before acquiescing.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2024
Sewell said he felt Andrew’s self-image was “dependent on the other party acquiescing to the idea that he is the prince.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2024
By acquiescing in an act that can cause such suffering to a living creature, who among us is not diminished as a human being?
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
