acclaim
Americanverb (used with object)
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to welcome or salute with shouts or sounds of joy and approval; applaud.
to acclaim the conquering heroes.
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to announce or proclaim with enthusiastic approval.
to acclaim the new king.
verb (used without object)
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
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acclaimedsimple
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had acclaimedperfect
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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:
Left behind by their team-mates after the first wave of celebrations, the pair stood side by side, arms outstretched as they soaked in the acclaim from the England supporters who had flocked to Mexico City.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Meanwhile, for all of the paper’s popular acclaim, many fellow scientists say “Wedges” missed its target.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
She felt even better as Freud’s portraits of her gained increasing acclaim.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
For some, it can lead to awards season acclaim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Over the decades, without much acclaim beyond his community and the world of high school theater, Volpe has transformed lives, thousands of them.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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
Each midwinter, with medals, scrolls, plaques, sonorous words and sometimes money, Science acclaims industrial and academic workers for outstanding achievement.
From Time Magazine Archive
Still, it may console these gentlemen to know that the nation which wages war on women and children acclaims them to-day "all honourable men," and doubtless without the Shakespearian intonation.
From What Germany Thinks The War as Germans see it by Smith, Thomas F. A.
But it’s also because Miles—who shares the surname and the romantic nature of Lucius, the protagonist from Mr. Mason’s acclaimed 2018 historical novel, “The Winter Soldier”—can’t fix on a topic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But it is also the site of great catharsis and creativity, as per a recent, acclaimed documentary named after the studio.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Designed by acclaimed architecture firm Olson Kundig, the 2,900-square-foot residence features two bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, floor-to-ceiling glass walls, and a spacious terrace overlooking the Hollywood Hills.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Throughout all three hours of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” — the acclaimed writer-director’s take on the ancient Greek epic attributed to Homer — I repeatedly returned to one question.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
‘You have looked in that accursed stone of wizardry!’ acclaimed Gimli with fear and astonishment in his face.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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
They, with acclaiming voice, Still sang and shouted, Alleluia—reign For ever, Lord of lords and King of kings!
From The Poetical Works of William Lisle Bowles Vol. 2 by Gilfillan, George
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.
