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.

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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

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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

Plagiarism can be defined as the appropriation of someone else’s words or ideas without acknowledgment or compensation.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Absent was any acknowledgment of the strain placed on those trying to help.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Whether that acknowledgment will translate into meaningful action remains to be seen.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

At first Prendergast thought the smiling was an acknowledgment that soon he would be in charge, but now he saw it as something else.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

One by one, my classmates from elementary school are turning 70, and the celebrations and acknowledgments are moving through our lives like Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 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

For all his acknowledgments about the importance of human autonomy, I finished this book with the very phrase “choice architect” making my blood run cold.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

To Mr. Bennet’s acknowledgments he briefly replied, with assurance of his eagerness to promote the welfare of any of his family; and concluded with entreaties that the subject might never be mentioned to him again.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Related Words

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