acquiesce
Americanverb (used without object)
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acquiesces,
present (3rd person singular)
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acquiesced,
past participle, past
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acquiescing
present participle
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
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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
They refuse to give up their own potential or acquiesce to a narrative that portrays their strengths as weaknesses, so they succeed in manifesting a treasure that nobody even thought was real.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 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
You say everyone acquiesces to the older brother.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
So the girl acquiesces and, in the next episode, we watch the dentist go to work on Evans’ mouth.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026
He will hope the new leader acquiesces to his plea to be allowed to remain in the job until next May.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026
Initially, Ingrid resists, fearful that she lacks the emotional fortitude to be there for Martha, but once she acquiesces, they grow closer during their bittersweet getaway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2025
But, grant a second life, he heartily acquiesces; he sees triumph in misfortune’s worst assaults, and gain in all the loss.
From The Browning Cyclop?dia A Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning by Edward Berdoe
It was somewhere during that “whirlwind” that she finally acquiesced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Moscow acquiesced to the Chinese yuan to be the primary currency for a planned regional-development bank covering Central Asia, known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Development Bank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
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
“It was unjust, he had by then decided, “and was acquiesced in merely from a fear of disunion, while our government was still in its infant state.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
Next, is kowtowing, accommodating and acquiescing to the whims and ego of that aging superstar or find yourself gone before your tenure is up.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
