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:
“The first and most important step was to acknowledge to myself that these things had happened at all.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
What they do, however, is acknowledge that the trend has lasted long enough and gone far enough, or a combination both, to be considered a long-term trend.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
“I will aways have to acknowledge my own history, and how I came to write that novel,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the king would acknowledge the "darkest days" of colonial rule and slavery during the trip.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
Juanita just sat back and looked at me smugly, a tiny bit of sisterly pride glinted in her brown eyes, but I didn’t acknowledge it.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Harbath doesn’t think the timing of the change was down to the bad publicity created by Haugen, although she acknowledges it could have looked that way.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Anthropic also acknowledges it is holding itself back: its safety measures "could slow our capability gains relative to competitors that do not adopt similar constraints."
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Co-written by the show’s creator, Julian “Downton Abbey” Fellowes, season 4 of “The Gilded Age” acknowledges history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
The real Evans later acknowledges withholding some details from Holmes, explaining that she had enough on her mind.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
This, his journal acknowledges, turned out to be a "tremendous mistake. ... In extreme July temperatures becomes delirious."
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Your husband acknowledged that relationship by leaving his children items of sentimental value.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
The Taliban government acknowledged that the ban was not a "sustainable and long-term solution" without alternative livelihoods and economic support for farmers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Warsh acknowledged Wednesday that while the Fed hasn’t won the inflation fight, “we’re working on it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
McVay acknowledged that “you always think about” possible deals and that the “conversation” might be different if more players were out for the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The goats barely acknowledged her when she approached them, but when she scratched one behind her ears, the other two crowded up to Anya.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
“In all the silence that I’ve been giving, I’ve been living a lot of life, and I’ve been enjoying it for myself,” she said, acknowledging there is a “huge” age gap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
She remains constructive on the AI cycle, while acknowledging expectations leave less room for disappointment.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
The show credits every collaborator for each work, acknowledging the expertise and skill that goes into turning artists’ visions into reality, and recognizing that the papermill’s artisans are artists in their own right.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
While acknowledging not everyone welcomes the proposal, he says Ali G put Staines on the map.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
At the end of the act, the illusionist takes a bow with a pivoting turn, acknowledging the entire circle as the audience applauds.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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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.
