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:
Most players involved were forced to acknowledge the whole story had been nonsense.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
That’s either a masterful, high-stakes long game of passive-aggressive behavior or a level of stubbornness and unwillingness to acknowledge a mistake that is quickly and badly damaging the show’s reputation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Responding to questions about its marketing, Synetal Solutions said: "We acknowledge the 'guarantee' wording in the emails supplied and recognise that contractual terms alone do not resolve concerns about those assurances."
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Even some secular residents acknowledge that day-to-day coexistence is generally peaceful.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
“The truth of what I did I have told to many men, and as I see it the honest and honorable thing for me to do was to stop the trial and acknowledge the truth.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Felipe taught himself how to program as a teenager and is developing his own game, although he acknowledges that working in Cuba throws up constant obstacles.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Aamir acknowledges that Jordan's battle with his eating disorder is not a linear journey, but their close working relationship has reached the stage where he now considers him family.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
And despite his upbeat perspective, even Stubb acknowledges that Europe needs to forge new partnerships in “a world of disorder.”
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Each cycle has the potential to behave differently,” Mr. Ruffini acknowledges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Tori acknowledges Marlene with a nod and scans the crowd for another recommendation.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
And a later district filing to the state acknowledged that more than 500 people who worked for district contractors likely had Social Security numbers and other confidential information exposed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Still, Kim acknowledged that trust in education has fallen, though he said that trust in American institutions “across the board has been declining.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The attacks on Saudi Arabia have tested the country's infrastructure and resilience, the energy minister acknowledged earlier this week.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Hewitt acknowledged there had been "some contrition" in Infantino's apology.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“We are trained to be friendly,” I acknowledged.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Andree Jeglertz, manager of champions Manchester City, agrees, acknowledging that the fact women's football has a much bigger audience now is a huge positive.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
But acknowledging a property’s cheesy elements isn’t the same as generating consistent laughs from the situation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Warsh focused on the surge in investment thanks to artificial intelligence while acknowledging that inflation was elevated.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
While acknowledging the medical-device unit needed work, the company said it was on track to surpass $100 billion in yearly sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
She would literally show up, begin talking, hand us the money without even acknowledging it, and start the dance class!
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
