acknowledge
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
Even if McVay will not publicly acknowledge it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
At this point it’s worth stepping back to acknowledge the strangeness of all this.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
“That piece is labor-intensive, let me acknowledge that.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
In his first speech he was to acknowledge he feels "acutely conscious" of the need for a more stable brand of politics, as he becomes the sixth new prime minister in the last 10 years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
But she finally had to open her eyes and acknowledge them.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
In his memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery,” published this year, Newsom acknowledges the liaison with Rippey, describing it as “the briefest of affairs.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The criticism surrounding Fire Point has had at least one tangible consequence, she acknowledges: some projects with foreign partners were delayed for several months for additional compliance procedures.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Willing was a facilitator and a beneficiary of government favoritism, Mr. Vague acknowledges, but that favoritism, adeptly channeled, allowed a fragile government to attract the support of wary capitalists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
And he acknowledges that lack of IGF-1 in Laron patients is a "major factor" contributing to the low number of incidences of cancer.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
“A brave man acknowledges the strength of others,” Four replies.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Senior officials who had overseen the subpoenas’ issuance acknowledged to an outraged Judge Arun Subramanian that the subpoenas were riddled with errors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The farming community had "a good relationship" with local police teams who he acknowledged were supportive.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
He acknowledged that the program “plays an invaluable role in the lives of many disabled New Yorkers” but agreed with the Justice Department that “it has also fallen prey to widespread waste, abuse and fraud.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Ms. Bass at least acknowledged last week that her city’s homeless agency is “a broken system.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Descartes, following in this tradition, used the word in S45 to refer to principles that ought, for theological reasons, to be acknowledged as false, but that are helpful if one pretends they might be true.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which owns Monticello and runs its public educational programs, gradually came around to acknowledging the full subjecthood of Sally Hemings, to the chagrin of some visitors.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Despite acknowledging subtle differences with Lindsey—“I have my own way of doing things,” she wrote in a note to constituents last week—she has emphasized that they shared the “same values.”
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
While acknowledging the two countries had "significant differences", Rubio said they would "have to work through those".
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
While acknowledging the oil crisis of 1973, and the fact unions were more powerful then, he said inflation didn’t stop accelerating.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
I'm scared of what acknowledging any of this says about me.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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.
