acquiesce

American  

[ak-wee-es] / ˌæk wiˈɛs /

verb (used without object)

• acquiesces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• acquiesced,
  past participle,  past
• acquiescing
  present participle

1. to assent tacitly; submit or comply silently or without protest; agree; consent.

   to acquiesce halfheartedly in a business plan.

   Synonyms:

   capitulate, concur, accede

   Antonyms:

   protest, contest

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acquiesce British  

/ ˌækwɪˈɛs /

verb

1. (intr; often foll by in or to) to comply (with); assent (to) without protest

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Usage

The use of to after acquiesce was formerly regarded as incorrect, but is now acceptable

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• acquiescence
  noun
• acquiescent
  adjective
• nonacquiescing
  adjective
• acquiescently
  adverb
• acquiescingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• acquiescing
  present
• acquiesced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• acquiesce
  simple
• acquiesces
  simple
• have acquiesced
  perfect
• has acquiesced
  perfect
• am acquiescing
  progressive
• are acquiescing
  progressive
• is acquiescing
  progressive
• have been acquiescing
  perfect progressive
• has been acquiescing
  perfect progressive

Past

• acquiesced
  simple
• had acquiesced
  perfect
• was acquiescing
  progressive
• were acquiescing
  progressive
• had been acquiescing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will acquiesce
  simple
• will have acquiesced
  perfect
• will be acquiescing
  progressive
• will have been acquiescing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of acquiesce

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin acquiēscere “to find rest in, ” equivalent to ac- ac- + quiē- + -sc- inchoative suffix + -ere infinitive suffix

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Explanation

To acquiesce is to agree to something or to give in. If your kid sister is refusing to hand over the television remote, you hope she acquiesces before your favorite show comes on. The verb acquiesce comes from the Latin word acquiescere, meaning “to rest.” If you “rest” or become passive in the face of something to which you object, you are giving tacit agreement. In other words, you acquiesce. If you want to go hiking with your family and your children are not interested, it will be a very tough day on the trail until they acquiesce.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acquiesce acquiesces acquiesced acquiescing

You are saying your paycheck goes into bitcoin first, rather than being spent on unnecessary purchases, but will acquiesce when you need a new car.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

I’d rather be called a prude than acquiesce to society’s slow drift into vice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

While Disney is said to have been adamant that he didn’t want his park to be a coaster haven, he could acquiesce for the right, story-driven project, as evidenced by the 1950s creation the Matterhorn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025

"You will be the same person that will castigate us if we acquiesce to accepting Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria," he added.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2025

I could not but acquiesce, for I was “dog-tired,” and could not have sat up had I tried.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

You say everyone acquiesces to the older brother.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

So the girl acquiesces and, in the next episode, we watch the dentist go to work on Evans’ mouth.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026

Glenn acquiesces — a real adult supports someone in need, after all.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025

Then he acquiesces: "The main aim is to try to make a superhero film in Hollywood."

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2023

Mysticism and High Church Anglicanism are so highly favoured that the hero, when the Jesuit relaxes his grasp, acquiesces in both.

From Letters of Lord Acton To Mary, Daughter of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone by John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron Acton

Apple’s appetite for flash storage swelled its leverage, and suppliers acquiesced to its demands for the lowest prices in the industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Had you written to me before you acquiesced, I would have told you to pay it, but beware of this behavior going forward.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

He wanted to avoid the mistakes he thought prosecutors had made, chief among them, in his view: They were so eager to show Blake’s motive that they acquiesced to the harsh portrayal of the victim.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

The Motion Picture Association and the U.S. ambassador to Canada had pressed the country to change the policy, and the government acquiesced late Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

The red-faced judge hastily acquiesced in this extraordinary order and promptly left town.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Big banks have already been acquiescing to Musk’s unusual demands, including paying up front for Grok subscriptions, thus juicing SpaceX’s flagging A.I. revenue.

From Slate ● May 15, 2026

That said, you are not wrong or rude for not acquiescing to their every suggestion.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 26, 2025

Google is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit and is alleged to “knowingly acquiescing in, failing to remedy, and materially assisting the unauthorized access” into Ritter’s accounts despite being provided notice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025

Although Red Bull had already decided to ditch Perez, he was reluctant to leave and his management sought the best possible compensation agreement before acquiescing.

From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2024

By acquiescing in an act that can cause such suffering to a living creature, who among us is not diminished as a human being?

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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Related Words

• accede
• cave in
• comply
• concur
• conform
• give in
• go along

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