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:
It’s important to acknowledge that everyone is different.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
I acknowledge I am a sample group of one, with only the scantest evidence to work with.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Columbia House drew further claims of bad business by allegedly refusing to acknowledge payments, discounting items so that users’ purchases fell just below the agreed-upon threshold and being a notoriously difficult subscription to terminate.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
“In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Even Jefferson seemed to acknowledge that Adams did not quite fit into this rigid formula.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
But in branding terms, Jones acknowledges that even negative publicity can have value if it keeps someone at the centre of the conversation.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
While Mr. Marquis acknowledges that the Dutch were “aggressive mercantilists with a nose for profit,” he contrasts their trade-driven but fair-minded approach toward Native American peoples with the “bellicose and imperialistic English, French, and Spanish.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Colburn acknowledges that it might at first seem "a little ridiculous" that the researchers are aiming for losses that can be described by percentages over kilometers.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Currently, investors are more keen on AI infrastructure stocks than potential AI productivity beneficiaries, Goldman acknowledges.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Tori acknowledges Marlene with a nod and scans the crowd for another recommendation.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
LIV acknowledged this week that it would no longer be played.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Paxton has acknowledged that Talarico’s superior spending has affected the standing of the race.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Speaking to BBC Sport last week, Brook acknowledged he had given some supporters cause for frustration.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Beong-Soo Kim, the university’s 13th president, acknowledged the bittersweet mood as he addressed Trojans and their families.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The goats barely acknowledged her when she approached them, but when she scratched one behind her ears, the other two crowded up to Anya.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
But now, authorities have officially exonerated him — acknowledging his innocence in the 1998 Fullerton heist that robbed him of nearly two decades of his life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
More recently, he was drawn into a multibillion-dollar fraud scandal surrounding failed Banco Master after acknowledging that he sought millions from its owner to finance a movie about his father.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Burnham promised to convene a summit with fire services, acknowledging the government had not supplied enough resources to deal with wildfires.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Indeed, there is frustration within parts of the SNP that she has sought to criticise, without acknowledging her own role in some of its recent difficulties.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Chapter 6 reflects on what acknowledging the presence of the New Jim Crow means for the future of civil rights advocacy.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
