acclaim
Americanverb (used with object)
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acclaims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
acclaimed,
past participle, past
-
acclaiming
present participle
-
to welcome or salute with shouts or sounds of joy and approval; applaud.
to acclaim the conquering heroes.
-
to announce or proclaim with enthusiastic approval.
to acclaim the new king.
verb (used without object)
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acclaims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
acclaimed,
past participle, past
-
acclaiming
present participle
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
-
have been acclaimingperfect progressive
-
has been acclaimingperfect progressive
Past
-
acclaimedsimple
-
had acclaimedperfect
-
was acclaimingprogressive
-
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:
A burst of six goals and one assist in the first 12 games of that campaign saw Delap earn widespread acclaim from former players.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The play, first produced to acclaim in London, takes place primarily in New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Despite the acclaim his Birmingham restaurant The Wilderness commands, Claridge says the reality behind the kitchen doors is one of soaring costs, shrinking margins and constant uncertainty.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 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
Courtney talks about the acclaim Truman Drama attracts, the attention it gets from New York.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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
Robert Ortner, chief economist for the Commerce Department, acclaims the present restructuring efforts of corporate America as "amazing."
From Time Magazine Archive
No sooner had the lads scampered away, making the vast grove ring amain to their acclaims, than I began my preparations.
From Fibble, D.D. by Tony Sarg
First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada mountains is internationally acclaimed for its spectacular granite cliffs, glaciers, waterfalls, sequoia trees and wildlife.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
It boasts an acclaimed healthcare system, loads of cultural activities, pro sports teams and a convenient international airport, and its home prices are far below those in most cities with comparable amenities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
They began publishing acclaimed Norwegian author Jon Fosse’s work three years before he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Phillips went on to become one of Britain's most acclaimed actresses, appearing in productions including Doctor Who, Calendar Girls, Dune, and I, Claudius.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Aguirre-Sacasa had been a writer for HBO’s acclaimed Big Love, a drama about a polygamist Mormon family.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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
He confessed as much to the left-wing American writer Anna Louise Strong in 1958, when she was about to write a book acclaiming Mao's Great Leap Forward.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2013
The harshest regime seems acceptable when everything is going well and the public and the media are acclaiming you as heroes.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 21, 2010
I watched the bleak, painted faces of the women and heard their false voices acclaiming the new star.
From She Buildeth Her House by William Wistar Comfort
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.
