acknowledge
Americanverb (used with object)
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acknowledges,
present (3rd person singular)
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acknowledged,
past participle, past
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acknowledging
present participle
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to admit to be real or true; recognize the existence, truth, or fact of.
to acknowledge one's mistakes.
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to show or express recognition or realization of.
to acknowledge an acquaintance by nodding.
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to recognize the authority, validity, or claims of.
The students acknowledged the authority of the student council.
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to show or express appreciation or gratitude for.
to acknowledge a favor.
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to indicate or make known the receipt of.
to acknowledge a letter.
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to take notice of or reply to.
to acknowledge a greeting.
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Law. to confirm as binding or of legal force.
to acknowledge a deed.
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to recognize or admit the existence, truth, or reality of
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to indicate recognition or awareness of, as by a greeting, glance, etc
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to express appreciation or thanks for
to acknowledge a gift
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to make the receipt of known to the sender
to acknowledge a letter
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to recognize, esp in legal form, the authority, rights, or claims of
Synonym Usage
Acknowledge, admit, confess agree in the idea of declaring something to be true. Acknowledge implies making a statement reluctantly, often about something previously denied: to acknowledge a fault. Admit especially implies acknowledging something under pressure: to admit a charge. Confess usually means stating somewhat formally an admission of wrongdoing, crime, or shortcoming: to confess guilt; to confess an inability to understand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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acknowledgernoun
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preacknowledgeverb (used with object)
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reacknowledgeverb (used with object)
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acknowledgeableadjective
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unacknowledgingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acknowledgesimple
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acknowledgessimple
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have acknowledgedperfect
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has acknowledgedperfect
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am acknowledgingprogressive
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are acknowledgingprogressive
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is acknowledgingprogressive
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have been acknowledgingperfect progressive
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has been acknowledgingperfect progressive
Past
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acknowledgedsimple
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had acknowledgedperfect
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was acknowledgingprogressive
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were acknowledgingprogressive
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had been acknowledgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of acknowledge
First recorded in 1475–85; late Middle English acknowleche, apparently either Middle English aknou(en) “to recognize” + -leche, noun suffix, variant of -lac; or a blend of aknouen and knouleche knowledge; then a- was mistaken for ac-
Explanation
To show that you know something is to acknowledge it. Waving "hello" to acknowledge a friend and nodding your head "yes" to acknowledge that you agree with what's being said are both acts showing knowledge or acceptance of someone or something. Dictionaries acknowledge that the word acknowledge has roots in the 15th and 16th centuries and is a combination of roots meaning "accord," "recognize," and "understand." Whereas "knowledge" is what you know, acknowledging is showing that you know. You might acknowledge that the world is round and that the moon is not made of cheese. You also can acknowledge, or give recognition, to the people who discovered these truths.
Vocabulary lists containing acknowledge
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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Common Core Grades 7–8, List 1
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Nothing But the Truth
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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:
Iran’s Foreign Ministry did, however, acknowledge that Iran was continuing talks with Oman on how to manage the Strait of Hormuz, which has been at the center of the stalemate between Washington and Tehran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Even fans of premium screenings acknowledge that the experience depends heavily on the theater.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
The six words that every baseball soul everywhere must now acknowledge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Only once they checked and began to run back did he stretch his own legs and acknowledge the crowd.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Morgan Stanley, which had been, by far, the most reluctant to acknowledge negative news in subprime, now called to say it would like to buy whatever he had “in any size.”
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
The government has committed to upskilling more than 300,000 outsourcing workers, but Aguirre acknowledges that the Philippines may need to rethink the economic model that helped make it an outsourcing centre.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
"The future for me is uncertain" unless "something happens, a radical change" in the country, he acknowledges.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
One catch, she acknowledges, is that it costs over $8,000.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
“I’ve probably said something similar to my students,” he acknowledges, adding that he and Hamaguchi were closer to likeminded friends than to student-teacher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Forty minutes go by before anyone acknowledges my presence with more than a harried nod.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Murrill, the Louisiana attorney general, said her office’s investigation is only just beginning but acknowledged that states including her own would face obstacles in pursuing charges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
While he acknowledged the drama’s nine Emmy nominations, “including the big one, Best Drama,” Martin also noted that his attendance at the upcoming Emmy Awards in September “depends...on, well a lot of things.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The Law Society's statement added that it acknowledged "the concern that this has caused".
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
"Now there's a lot of consternation about that," Hickey acknowledged.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
That someone who originates a new idea has a right to be acknowledged seems to us obvious, but this idea was fundamentally new.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Ogwumike didn’t seem ready to declare the season lost, even while acknowledging that things have gone wrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
They told her to take down the post and asked her to sign a letter acknowledging she had been informed that she “may” have violated federal law with her social-media account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
He responded by touting the companies’ “overlap” and collaboration, before acknowledging that he can’t discuss corporate combinations on an earnings call and allowing Tesla’s general counsel to step in.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which owns Monticello and runs its public educational programs, gradually came around to acknowledging the full subjecthood of Sally Hemings, to the chagrin of some visitors.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
I was to beg him by praising him—never acknowledging the aggression behind his question.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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.
