acclaim
Americanverb (used with object)
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acclaims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
acclaimed,
past participle, past
-
acclaiming
present participle
-
to welcome or salute with shouts or sounds of joy and approval; applaud.
to acclaim the conquering heroes.
-
to announce or proclaim with enthusiastic approval.
to acclaim the new king.
verb (used without object)
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acclaims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
acclaimed,
past participle, past
-
acclaiming
present participle
noun
verb
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(tr) to acknowledge publicly the excellence of (a person, act, etc)
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to salute with cheering, clapping, etc; applaud
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(tr) to acknowledge publicly that (a person) has (some position, quality, etc)
they acclaimed him king
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acclaimsimple
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acclaimssimple
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have acclaimedperfect
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has acclaimedperfect
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am acclaimingprogressive
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are acclaimingprogressive
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is acclaimingprogressive
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have been acclaimingperfect progressive
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has been acclaimingperfect progressive
Past
-
acclaimedsimple
-
had acclaimedperfect
-
was acclaimingprogressive
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were acclaimingprogressive
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had been acclaimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of acclaim
From the Latin word acclāmāre, dating back to 1630–40. See ac-, claim
Explanation
You know you've hit it big when you earn acclaim, or enthusiastic approval. And when you have achieved "critical acclaim," even the grouchy critics approve of you. The word acclaim comes from the Latin word acclamare, which means to cry out. So it only makes sense that the verb acclaim means to offer enthusiastic praise or applause. "The book was critically acclaimed, but most of the students found it to be stupefyingly boring."
Vocabulary lists containing acclaim
Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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The Unteachables
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The Crossover
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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:
In June 1976, Marley and the Wailers were reaching a new level of international popularity and acclaim.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
So when the 21-year-old took the acclaim of an ecstatic Emirates Arena crowd after being announced as the Glasgow 2026 all-around champion, it was all he had ever dreamed of and so much more.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Turkish-made drones earned international acclaim after Ukraine used them to blow up columns of invading Russian military vehicles in 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Scientists and ethicists say the paper may not have been seen as credible or earned its acclaim had the extent of BP’s involvement been fully disclosed.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
A Trip to the Moon, Melies’ most famous film, followed a group of explorers as they went to the moon, fought the moon men, and returned home with a captive, to great acclaim.
From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick
When Mr. Marx acclaims “Old Town Road” as an “incredible homegrown feat,” he praises what he damns elsewhere as the second sickness of our age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
In a review headlined “Flaunting It,” New York Times book critic Christopher Lehmann-Haupt wrote, “George Lois may be nearly as great a genius of mass communication as he acclaims himself to be.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2022
There are countless ways to get B’s and C’s without building the “creativity, leadership and teamwork skills” that Mr. Grant rightly acclaims.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2018
Robert Ortner, chief economist for the Commerce Department, acclaims the present restructuring efforts of corporate America as "amazing."
From Time Magazine Archive
Walls, windows, streets, each edifice and pillar Seemed as a living mass; and waving hands And loud acclaims filled the astonished air.
From Joan of Arc A Play in Five Acts by Jane Alice Sargant
The service benefits from Warner films, cartoons and HBO’s critically acclaimed original content including “Euphoria,” “Hacks,” “The Gilded Age” and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which debuted earlier this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
It’s been seven years since Mahershala Ali was announced as Marvel’s Blade, but the acclaimed actor says that his involvement in the project is officially dead and buried.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The 56-year-old, who shot to prominence when he was cast in 1991 musical comedy film The Commitments, was the long-time frontman of acclaimed rock band The Frames.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Crews started the gig when he was still starring as a flustered cop on the acclaimed sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
In 1944, Koch won an Academy Award as co-screenwriter for the acclaimed film Casablanca.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
We're All Alone In This Together has been widely praised, with The Guardian acclaiming it as "an eerie, anguished triumph".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2021
The installations, unveiled last week, include an oversize rendering of Rome’s ubiquitous drinking fountains and a giant wooden doorstop, acclaiming Rome as an open city.
From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2021
Pundits worldwide were united in acclaiming it as one of the best England performances of all time, if not the very best.
From Reuters ● Nov. 2, 2019
The harshest regime seems acceptable when everything is going well and the public and the media are acclaiming you as heroes.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 21, 2010
O blowing wind, come hither, bearing Answering voices, loud acclaiming.
From The Standard Cantatas Their Stories, Their Music, and Their Composers by George P. (George Putnam) Upton
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.
