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:
Turkish-made drones earned international acclaim after Ukraine used them to blow up columns of invading Russian military vehicles in 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 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
Scientists and ethicists say the paper may not have been seen as credible or earned its acclaim had the extent of BP’s involvement been fully disclosed.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
But there was a question mark hovering over his new material, which has not been met with the sort of universal acclaim the 33-year-old has come to expect.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Then the spell was broken as great numbers of people, stirred by their own emotions, roared their acclaim and rushed toward Anderson to offer congratulations and good wishes, threatening to mob her.
From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman
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
Walls, windows, streets, each edifice and pillar Seemed as a living mass; and waving hands And loud acclaims filled the astonished air.
From Joan of Arc A Play in Five Acts by Sargant, Jane Alice
Created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the multi award-winning and critically acclaimed BBC sitcom was set at Slough paper merchant Wernham-Hogg.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Mr. Moore, who has created acclaimed comic books and fiction, draws on all his talents in crafting this lurid collage of English culture past, present and future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The series was created by Vince Gilligan, who created the acclaimed series “Breaking Bad” and co-created its spinoff “Better Call Saul,” which also featured Seehorn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Coldplay will feature in a collaboration with PS22 Chorus, an acclaimed choir of students from a New York public elementary school.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
I ask Zuccarini if he ever recruits students from Truman’s acclaimed drama program, but he doesn’t know anything about it.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
We're All Alone In This Together has been widely praised, with The Guardian acclaiming it as "an eerie, anguished triumph".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2021
The installations, unveiled last week, include an oversize rendering of Rome’s ubiquitous drinking fountains and a giant wooden doorstop, acclaiming Rome as an open city.
From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2021
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
Even more enthusiastic was the Literary Review's Malcolm Forbes, acclaiming "a superb new novel" by "a writer of huge talent" who is "starting to resemble her literary idol, Chinua Achebe".
From The Guardian ● Apr. 13, 2013
He had rushed to the Cæsar trying to protect him, when thousands on thousands of throats were acclaiming his name as future lord of Rome.
From "Unto Caesar" by Orczy, Emmuska Orczy, Baroness
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.
