acclaim

[ uh-kleym ]

/ əˈkleɪm /

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See synonyms for: acclaim / acclaimed on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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)

to make acclamation; applaud.

noun

acclamation (defs. 1, 2).

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Origin of acclaim

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

OTHER WORDS FROM acclaim

ac·claim·er, nounre·ac·claim, verb (used with object)un·ac·claimed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use acclaim in a sentence

He was ambitious, but he couldn’t, in good conscience, continue to receive acclaim for producing paintings of nothing.
Philip Guston’s art speaks to our present moment. We shouldn’t have to wait to see it.|Sebastian Smee|January 14, 2021|Washington Post
Katori Hall’s drama about the employees of a Mississippi Delta strip club premiered to widespread acclaim in July.
8 hidden TV gems you might have missed (or forgotten about) in 2020|Bethonie Butler|January 1, 2021|Washington Post
Amid the year’s reckoning over race in America, graphic novels continued to give voice to once-underrepresented stories, and creators of color drew critical acclaim.
2020 graphic novels and comic books: Five trends that defined the year|Michael Cavna|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
You opened in August last year and then got all of this critical acclaim.
The True Cost of Keeping a Restaurant Open During a Pandemic|Charlotte Druckman|November 11, 2020|Eater

Unlike Burger King, which debuted its Impossible Whopper last year to wide acclaim, McDonald’s is not officially naming the supplier for its plant-based patties.
The McPlant is coming. McDonald’s won’t name its supplier, but all signs point to Beyond Meat.|Tim Carman|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
The 1989 picture is remembered for the acclaimed (and sort-of-creepy, to be real for a moment) Disney family film that it is.
When the Religious Right Attacked ‘The Little Mermaid’|Asawin Suebsaeng|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Hangover star, currently in the critically acclaimed Birdman, certainly knows how to bring the funny as well as the awkward.
Brad Pitt and Louis C.K. Go ‘Between Two Ferns’|Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The acclaimed auteur spoke to Marlow Stern about a month ago on how cable TV is the new arthouse.
David Lynch on Transcendental Meditation, ‘Twin Peaks,’ and Collaborating With Kanye West|Marlow Stern|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At a concert on Friday in Sydney, the acclaimed rapper called out a pair of fans for not standing up at the show.
Kanye West Stops Concert to Yell at Kid in Wheelchair, 'Stand Up!'|Marlow Stern|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Acclaimed novelist Vikram Chandra is equally obsessed with the tech world of computer coding and the realm of imagination.
Vikram Chandra Is A Novelist Who's Obsessed With Writing Computer Code|Jane Ciabattari|August 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nothing bad (she had already acclaimed it to Amy and Jessie) could happen to her with that frock on.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
These resolves condemned the Stamp Act and defiantly acclaimed the rights which they considered essential to civil liberty.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
But the People, the workers of America, have joyously acclaimed the rebellious manhood of Homestead.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
A new writer, if he is any good, will be acclaimed generally with more noise than he deserves.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
His people had utterly disapproved of the journey, but they acclaimed him joyously on the two days' progress to Burgos.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte|William Milligan Sloane

British Dictionary definitions for acclaim

acclaim

/ (əˈkleɪm) /

verb

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

to salute with cheering, clapping, etc; applaud

(tr) to acknowledge publicly that (a person) has (some position, quality, etc)they acclaimed him king

noun

an enthusiastic approval, expression of enthusiasm, etc

Derived forms of acclaim

acclaimer, noun

Word Origin for acclaim

C17: from Latin acclāmāre to shout at, shout applause, from ad- to + clamāre to shout

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

acclaim

Origin of acclaim

OTHER WORDS FROM acclaim

Words related to acclaim

How to use acclaim in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for acclaim

Derived forms of acclaim

Word Origin for acclaim