acquaint
Americanverb (used with object)
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acquaints,
present (3rd person singular)
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acquainted,
past participle, past
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acquainting
present participle
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to make more or less familiar, aware, or conversant (usually followed bywith ).
to acquaint the mayor with our plan.
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to furnish with knowledge; inform (usually followed bywith ).
to acquaint the manager with one's findings.
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to bring into social contact; introduce (usually followed bywith ).
She acquainted her roommate with my cousin.
verb
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to make (a person) familiar or conversant (with); inform (of)
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(foll by with) to introduce (to); bring into contact (with)
Usage
What is another way to say acquaint? To acquaint two or more people is to bring them into social contact. How is acquaint different from introduce? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
acquaintsimple
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acquaintssimple
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have acquaintedperfect
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has acquaintedperfect
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am acquaintingprogressive
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are acquaintingprogressive
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is acquaintingprogressive
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have been acquaintingperfect progressive
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has been acquaintingperfect progressive
Past
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acquaintedsimple
-
had acquaintedperfect
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was acquaintingprogressive
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were acquaintingprogressive
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had been acquaintingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of acquaint
1250–1300; Middle English aqueinten, acointen < Anglo-French acointer, Old French acoint ( i ) er, verbal derivative of acointe familiar, known < Latin accognitus, past participle of accognōscere to recognize, equivalent to ac- ac- + co- co- + gni- know 1 + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
When you acquaint yourself with something, you familiarize yourself with it. When you visit a new city, you should acquaint yourself with the layout of the streets so you don’t get lost. You can also acquaint yourself with another person, by introducing yourself and getting know them. When you see the moving truck pull in across the street, you might want to run over and acquaint yourself with your new neighbors. The word acquaint comes via French from the Latin accognoscere, which is made up of ad- “to,” or “toward,” and cognoscere “come to know.”
Vocabulary lists containing acquaint
Frindle
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"My Antonia" by Willa Cather: Captivating Verbs
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Missing May
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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:
Let’s acquaint ourselves with Article 1, Section 5 of the Constitution.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
He now forecasts that about half a gigawatt will be deployed in the second half of 2026, reflecting the time needed to acquaint to new rack architecture.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2025
This is standard fare - an opportunity for 'tracksuit staff' to acquaint themselves with the new coaching team and for the manager to start laying down his philosophy.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2025
That is all the invitation they need to acquaint themselves with the goods in a way they are rarely permitted at serious institutions.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2024
Three days past, he had summoned all his captains to a war council aboard the Fury while the fleet lay anchored at the mouth of the Wendwater, in order to acquaint them with his dispositions.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
It acquaints people with the mechanics of investing and gives them a place to learn without putting real money on the line.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026
“Egon Schiele: Living Landscapes” is a stirring, deeply engrossing show that acquaints us with a long-hidden part of the artist’s career.
From New York Times ● Nov. 21, 2024
After a poker game acquaints her with a pair of soldiers, a teasing playfulness also emerges.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2018
Like nothing else, it acquaints women with extremes of feeling.
From Economist ● Apr. 19, 2018
In the first place it provides the materials for an estimate of the character and scope of Hazlitt’s contributions to criticism and so acquaints students with one of the greatest of English critics.
From Hazlitt on English Literature An Introduction to the Appreciation of Literature by Jacob Zeitlin
Like their predecessors, they meet most weeks for breakfast and were well acquainted before joining the government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Even though our granny was, like all people in the mountains, well acquainted with Dolly by that point, she was still transfixed.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Greece is well acquainted with the trend, after hit musical "Mamma Mia", filmed on the island of Skopelos, triggered a jump in American visitors.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
But that conflict quickly fizzles as both parents become acquainted with this robot, whose memories only extend to the information the couple provided.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Cora was acquainted with this squeamish quality of Lovey’s, but she did not recognize the other side of her friend, whatever had overtaken the girl and made her run.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
As the World Cup landed in the U.S. for the first time in three decades, international soccer fans have been acquainting themselves with the distinctly American pleasures of barbecue, highway traffic jams and Texas summers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said, adding Moscow was "acquainting itself" with the joint statement issued in Jeddah.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2025
The multiplatinum album acted as a coming-out-party, acquainting music lovers the world over with the incredible range of his gifts.
From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2024
“They are currently in the phase of acquainting themselves with each other,” YG told Yonhap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
Newton replied, thanking Oldenburg ‘for your candour in acquainting me with Mr Hook’s insinuations’ and asking for an opportunity to set the record straight.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
