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 analysts acknowledge the argument that incumbent banks should be able to harness new tech to streamline processes, redesign value chains, improve controls, and speed up decision making.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Social isolation and loneliness - the sad thing is in rural communities, people don't always like to talk about that and acknowledge that," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Newsom appeared to acknowledge a desire to avoid the possibly messy fight for California backers that could ensue if both were to run, saying there would be “pure crossover” between Harris’ supporters and his.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
I’d prefer it if our current politicians could acknowledge that.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
“The truth of what I did I have told to many men, and as I see it the honest and honorable thing for me to do was to stop the trial and acknowledge the truth.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Ms. Berg acknowledges that much of the museum’s outreach to Berlin’s Muslim communities was discontinued after Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
It’s as if the world tacitly acknowledges that getting this tale truly right is a futile pursuit.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Otty said MI5 "fully accepts and acknowledges the gravity of the issues raised" and they must never happen again.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
While this will likely be upgraded at some point, Cryer, a veteran of the mining industry, acknowledges that predicting the long-run price of copper is far from straightforward.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Somebody finally acknowledges the cloud hanging over the kitchen, which for some reason is like acknowledging me.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Lampard acknowledged his players must have thick skins to come through the slog of a Premier League season.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Peacock acknowledged the sneaker brand’s apology, but added that “must come with accountability.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Saudi Arabia hasn’t formally acknowledged losing the jet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Flock CEO Garrett Langley has acknowledged the criticism, but said the company continues to grow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Moreover, it was generally acknowledged that the Tychonic system was incompatible with belief in solid heavenly spheres.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
While acknowledging England would have to review their "game management", captain Meg Jones hailed the spectacle the two sides delivered.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Curtis began her speech by first acknowledging the passing of Cheers co-creator James Burrows, who was also a good friend of Reiner's.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“I probably won’t be doing any more interviews for a minute,” Elsesser says, acknowledging the end of the press cycle for his most recent album, June’s “Sir Render.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
While acknowledging that evaluations of a new AI model can take days to run, he says Astra’s “most AGI obvious feature” is the ability to combine computer control with its image- and video-generation ability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
She looked at me and added, "She is a hybrid genius of unknown I.Q.," and I knew that she was acknowledging our conversation of last summer.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
