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:
“Whatever happened was wrong; we acknowledge it, and they acknowledge it, too.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
But even if you acknowledge the upside, you must accept the inverse is true, too.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
“To the opposing party: I sincerely hope that one day you all will acknowledge your accountability,” she wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
That people will acknowledge the pain and sacrifices that come with public health measures.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Already in 1662, however, Boyle was careful to acknowledge that a number of people had contributed to the formulation of Boyle’s law.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The LZ collaboration also acknowledges the assistance of the Sanford Underground Research Facility.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
The 17 million number is “heavily debated,” Privorostky acknowledges.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
But even the prosecution acknowledges that Ms. Clancy “was suffering from mental illness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
He also acknowledges that he is still learning what it means to be in this elected office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
In April, Theo acknowledges to another sister, Lies, that he’s been ill, “particularly in my spirit, and have had a great struggle with myself.”
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Han acknowledged in July that Windrose had payroll issues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Farage acknowledged Jukes' comments were "problematic" but added that they were "loose pub talk, including a couple of boasts that simply were not true".
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
In an AFP interview earlier this week, Venice festival supremo Alberto Barbera acknowledged the dangers but he sounded more optimistic than other leading movie figures.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
In a Bloomberg TV interview Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright acknowledged China wouldn’t have any claims to Venezuela’s oil revenue or production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
When they were discovered, she was interrogated by police until she acknowledged that she couldn't be 100 percent sure the infant hadn't moved before death, even though the premature delivery made viability extremely unlikely.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Bass, while acknowledging those setbacks, said unsheltered homelessness — the number of people living outside or in their vehicles — had still fallen by 11% since she took office in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
"I think it is overdue that we have another fundamental look," said McDonald, acknowledging the archipelago's "iconic status" in the UK as a result of its victory in the war over 40 years ago.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
At the time of the results, the firm said new product launches would leave "JLR in good shape whilst acknowledging the continuing geopolitical, inflationary and regulatory challenges the industry faces".
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The Justice Department argues there is nothing in the law that stops the board from naming the plaza or acknowledging major donors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
She fled to a cousin’s house in the country, disgraced, while the minister kept his post and was deemed a generous man for acknowledging his son.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions 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.
