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:
"We must acknowledge the larger framework in which they exist and this research provides a way to do just that."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
“Everyone felt energized by that. We can’t change the past, but we need to acknowledge what happened in order not to repeat it in the future.”
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
"We acknowledge that there are some challenges, potentially becoming a real problem, especially for women," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
DoorDash stated that the settlement was to acknowledge inadvertent errors and that the mistakes weren't intentional.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
They didn’t turn to look at me or acknowledge me in any way.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Interviewed on the David Lin report podcast on Monday, Bianco acknowledges that “I’m not going to be smart enough to say 5.25% is the high but we’re getting close enough.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Yeo acknowledges the EAP's shared heritage with X-planes.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Ford UK's Lisa Brankin acknowledges 9,000 engines over five to seven years is a far cry from the 90,000 per year the plant used to produce – but she insists every little helps.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Ms. Berg acknowledges that much of the museum’s outreach to Berlin’s Muslim communities was discontinued after Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
This, his journal acknowledges, turned out to be a "tremendous mistake. ... In extreme July temperatures becomes delirious."
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
However UK Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood acknowledged in parliament this month that the deal has "not been without its challenges" and "the numbers are still relatively small".
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
The BofA team acknowledged that there probably is a level at which rising Treasury yields could start to weigh on stocks — it is just higher than most in the market probably expect.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
But finally acknowledged that the injury could have affected his swing mechanics, while again emphasizing that he wouldn’t use that as an excuse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
The ASA acknowledged in its ruling that the ad "did not explicitly recommend that consumers replace all conventional foods with Huel", but consumers could nonetheless interpret the anecdote as "an acceptable dietary practice".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
All acknowledged Painter Chen as the master of all masters.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
Rob Pelinka, the president of basketball operations, starts the Thursday media session expressing gratitude to James while acknowledging excitement about the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
The veterinary medicine student even took the time to thank his doppelganger directly, acknowledging the boost to his street cred.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Kudos to him for acknowledging how little trust Americans place in media institutions and implying that the media’s credibility wounds are self-inflicted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
On Wednesday, Luxon also apologised to the children's mother, acknowledging that they were "let down through this process that spent four years in the bush".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
I notice his use of she, acknowledging that I'm not merely curious about procedure in general but about one person in particular.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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.
