acknowledgment

American  

[ak-nol-ij-muhnt] / ækˈnɒl ɪdʒ mənt /

especially British, acknowledgement

noun

• acknowledgments
  plural

1. an act of acknowledging.

2. recognition of the existence or truth of something.

   the acknowledgment of a sovereign power.

3. an expression of appreciation.

4. a thing done or given in appreciation or gratitude.

5. Law.

   1. a declaration before an official that one has executed a particular legal document.

   2. an official certificate of a formal acknowledging.

   3. public recognition by a man of an illegitimate child as his own.

---

acknowledgment British  

/ əkˈnɒlɪdʒmənt /

noun

1. the act of acknowledging or state of being acknowledged

2. something done or given as an expression of thanks, as a reply to a message, etc

3. (plural) an author's statement acknowledging his use of the works of other authors, usually printed at the front of a book

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preacknowledgement
  noun
• preacknowledgment
  noun
• reacknowledgment
  noun
• superacknowledgment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• acknowledgments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of acknowledgment

First recorded in 1585–95; acknowledge + -ment

Explanation

When you recognize or admit the truth of something, you make an acknowledgment. Your grumpy friend who never gets enough sleep? He needs to make an acknowledgment of what his late nights are doing to his mood. Other kinds of acknowledgments give credit where it's due. Research papers that quote other people's words or ideas contain acknowledgments that name the source. Publicly thanking someone is another kind of acknowledgment. Award winners at the Oscars and other ceremonies often rattle off a big list of names, acknowledgement for their contribution to the winner's success.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acknowledgment acknowledgments

There’s an acknowledgment of responsibility, not for specific infractions, but for the popular catchall of “distraction and distress.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

It was a deliberate and visible acknowledgment that Marsh did not view rap in the pejorative sense that far too many of his colleagues and music fans did — and still do.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

It’s an acknowledgment that agents can’t effectively do their job.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

They’re giving you the information, and the acknowledgment of, ‘OK, now you can tell everybody.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

She would nod acknowledgment and turn back to her machines, which at least did not reach out and pat you when you weren’t watching.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

He was open about using LLMs as a resource in the book’s acknowledgments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Kennedy halted the FDA-backed proposal that would have restricted sunlamp products to users 18 and older and required warning acknowledgments about cancer risks.

From Salon ● May 9, 2026

Death crosses are more acknowledgments that the trend has extended long enough and/or fallen far enough to be taken seriously, and aren’t necessarily meant to be good market-timing signals.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 14, 2026

The case against Williamson is bolstered by acknowledgments of guilt from at least two others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025

I told Great-great-aunt Florentine I’d give her credit in the acknowledgments.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

Related Words

• acceptance
• admission
• affirmation
• assent
• assertion
• concession
• confession
• confirmation
• corroboration
• realization
• recognition