acclaim

American  

[uh-klaym] / əˈkleɪm /

verb (used with object)

• acclaims,
  present (3rd person singular)
• acclaimed,
  past participle,  past
• acclaiming
  present participle

1. 

   to welcome or salute with shouts or sounds of joy and approval; applaud.

   to acclaim the conquering heroes.

2. to announce or proclaim with enthusiastic approval.

   to acclaim the new king.

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verb (used without object)

• acclaims,
  present (3rd person singular)
• acclaimed,
  past participle,  past
• acclaiming
  present participle

1. to make acclamation; applaud.

noun

1. acclamation.

acclaim British  

/ əˈkleɪm /

verb

1. (tr) to acknowledge publicly the excellence of (a person, act, etc)

2. to salute with cheering, clapping, etc; applaud

3. (tr) to acknowledge publicly that (a person) has (some position, quality, etc)

   they acclaimed him king

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noun

1. an enthusiastic approval, expression of enthusiasm, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• acclaimer
  noun
• reacclaim
  verb (used with object)
• unacclaimed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• acclaiming
  present
• acclaimed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• acclaim
  simple
• acclaims
  simple
• have acclaimed
  perfect
• has acclaimed
  perfect
• am acclaiming
  progressive
• are acclaiming
  progressive
• is acclaiming
  progressive
• have been acclaiming
  perfect progressive
• has been acclaiming
  perfect progressive

Past

• acclaimed
  simple
• had acclaimed
  perfect
• was acclaiming
  progressive
• were acclaiming
  progressive
• had been acclaiming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will acclaim
  simple
• will have acclaimed
  perfect
• will be acclaiming
  progressive
• will have been acclaiming
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of acclaim

From the Latin word acclāmāre, dating back to 1630–40. See ac-, claim

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acclaim acclaims acclaimed acclaiming

But Bill Pay was clearly not aiming for highbrow acclaim in the way Barbie aimed for the Oscars.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

Modern art history has brought renewed acclaim, and a bounty of new interpretations have given the room newfound relevance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Just a year later, the Thomas Tunnock lifeboat, named in honour of the businessman's late brother and grandfather, was launched to great acclaim.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

In 1995, Martha and the Vandellas were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the second all-female group to land the acclaim.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

But even the publication of the book did not bring the kind of instant acclaim from his peers that you might expect.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

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

The world that has entered into the heritage of his aims has forgotten Ledyard; for the public acclaims only the heroes of success, and he was a hero of defeat.

From Vikings of the Pacific The Adventures of the Explorers who Came from the West, Eastward by Agnes C. (Agnes Christina) Laut

“The Sopranos” star and his wife, Maureen Van Zandt—who also played his on-screen spouse in the iconic HBO show—snapped up the home in 2008, about a year after the finale of the critically acclaimed series.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

She also won an Emmy in 1990 for her role as a rich widow in the acclaimed TV miniseries People Like Us.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

You’re still having to learn a vast repertoire of another band and accommodate your style as a working professional and acclaimed musician of many years into someone else’s.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

Their record includes critically acclaimed movies but several box-office disappointments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

In 1944, Koch won an Academy Award as co-screenwriter for the acclaimed film Casablanca.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

Harold’s knights pivot from acclaiming him with open palms and loyal smiles to pointing fearfully at the heavens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

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

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

But that had not prevented others from acclaiming him as a hero.

From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2018

The idea that had come dangerously close to Aubrey's consciousness was the curious notion that people resented acclaiming anybody like themselves.

From Gargoyles by Ben Hecht

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Related Words

• acclamation
• applause
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