acknowledgment
Americannoun
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acknowledgments
plural
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an act of acknowledging.
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recognition of the existence or truth of something.
the acknowledgment of a sovereign power.
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an expression of appreciation.
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a thing done or given in appreciation or gratitude.
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Law.
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a declaration before an official that one has executed a particular legal document.
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an official certificate of a formal acknowledging.
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public recognition by a man of an illegitimate child as his own.
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noun
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the act of acknowledging or state of being acknowledged
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something done or given as an expression of thanks, as a reply to a message, etc
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(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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing acknowledgment
Lesson 1
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"Amigo Brothers" and "Lean on Me"
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The Tale of Despereaux
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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 also an acknowledgment that Meta didn’t want to have to rely on other companies for access to its ecosystem.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
In organizing this porchfest, there are acknowledgment statements for both musicians and homeowners who permit the use of their property.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
It is an acknowledgment of “River’s” apparent commercial potential in a world where horror movies like “Obsession” and “Backrooms” have shown a path to connecting with young audiences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
The acknowledgment comes after Reuters reported that Kennedy directed CDC Director Erica Schwartz to remove references to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency’s national measles count after questioning whether the disease contributed to them.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
Was the way forward with Freedmen as simple as acknowledgment and reconciliation?
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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
So after faculty were urged to add land acknowledgments to their syllabi, Mr. Reges had a subversive idea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025
Even among the analysts who reaffirmed a buy or buy-equivalent rating following Oracle’s print, there were acknowledgments of heightened risk.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 11, 2025
In the acknowledgments you refer to Fiverr, a freelance service.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025
I told Great-great-aunt Florentine I’d give her credit in the acknowledgments.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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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.
