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:
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
She remembered a time when Arab and Muslim New Yorkers struggled to find elected officials willing to acknowledge their experiences at all.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, under scrutiny over her legal credentials, seemed to acknowledge Thursday that she had failed the bar exam, but argued she was accurate in presenting herself as a lawyer.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
“There is,” I tell her, but she doesn’t even acknowledge that I spoke.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
He acknowledges the support he has received from fans and his club.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
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
Walker acknowledges some people do need the help—including three of his grandchildren, who are on PIP.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Edwards acknowledges that perhaps it’s simply too early for the benefits of AI to be showing up in TFP data but still, he does cite another economist Rob Parenteau on the trends.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
We pass him in the hall; he barely acknowledges Rhiannon and completely ignores me.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
Commissioners unanimously approved the Point Sal designation, highlighting the opportunity to support tribes even as some acknowledged it would affect fishermen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Asked about his vote in a recent debate, Mr. Jackson acknowledged “it did cost more than it should have.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron refused Nunez's resignation, even as he acknowledged security and intelligence failures in the government response, despite the deployment of some 60,000 law enforcement personnel across the country on Saturday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
The EU said Ukraine's specific steel quota guaranteed exports of the metal, but acknowledged this was at a "level lower than in the past years".
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
I saw Henry cut his eyes at Charles; Charles, behind Cloke’s back, acknowledged the glance.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
The French president’s administration has vowed to punish those responsible for the violence while acknowledging failures in the police response.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 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
With decades-long careers in public office, both Jackson and Collins are striking a balance between defending their records and acknowledging that voters think the status quo is broken.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
“This ought only be between us,” Balekin says to Dain, not acknowledging that his father had even spoken.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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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.
