acknowledge
Americanverb (used with object)
-
acknowledges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
acknowledged,
past participle, past
-
acknowledging
present participle
-
to admit to be real or true; recognize the existence, truth, or fact of.
to acknowledge one's mistakes.
-
to show or express recognition or realization of.
to acknowledge an acquaintance by nodding.
-
to recognize the authority, validity, or claims of.
The students acknowledged the authority of the student council.
-
to show or express appreciation or gratitude for.
to acknowledge a favor.
-
to indicate or make known the receipt of.
to acknowledge a letter.
-
to take notice of or reply to.
to acknowledge a greeting.
-
Law. to confirm as binding or of legal force.
to acknowledge a deed.
verb
-
(may take a clause as object) to recognize or admit the existence, truth, or reality of
-
to indicate recognition or awareness of, as by a greeting, glance, etc
-
to express appreciation or thanks for
to acknowledge a gift
-
to make the receipt of known to the sender
to acknowledge a letter
-
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
-
acknowledgernoun
-
preacknowledgeverb (used with object)
-
reacknowledgeverb (used with object)
-
acknowledgeableadjective
-
unacknowledgingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
acknowledgesimple
-
acknowledgessimple
-
have acknowledgedperfect
-
has acknowledgedperfect
-
am acknowledgingprogressive
-
are acknowledgingprogressive
-
is acknowledgingprogressive
-
have been acknowledgingperfect progressive
-
has been acknowledgingperfect progressive
Past
-
acknowledgedsimple
-
had acknowledgedperfect
-
was acknowledgingprogressive
-
were acknowledgingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Common Core Grades 7–8, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Nothing But the Truth
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Urging clients to acknowledge the repercussions of their actions also tends to make an impact.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
After 77 years of intervals of tolerance alternating with intervals of repression, official statistics acknowledge 44 million registered Christians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
I need to acknowledge up front that it is unwise for anybody—including me—to deduce any comprehensive conclusions about the Democratic Party and where it’s headed from Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary last week.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Beyond barring U.S. access, loss of a visa is widely viewed as raising suspicions about a politician’s character — a major reason, observers say, why few Mexican lawmakers acknowledge being stripped of visas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Even de Vries, who had so conspicuously forgotten to mention Mendel in his first study, was forced to acknowledge Mendel’s contribution.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Colburn acknowledges that it might at first seem "a little ridiculous" that the researchers are aiming for losses that can be described by percentages over kilometers.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Currently, investors are more keen on AI infrastructure stocks than potential AI productivity beneficiaries, Goldman acknowledges.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
She acknowledges there’s a bit of irony in her AI fears given she has been able to build a side hustle with blue-collar-themed content thanks to social-media platforms reliant on algorithms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Taken together, the reviews paint a picture of a show shaped more by personal reflection than conventional comedy, something Knox herself acknowledges.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
It’s almost like he acknowledges that I saved him—and that we will never speak of this again.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Guayaramerin's police chief Johnny Rivas acknowledged the risks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
She acknowledged that Bellina's name had been "widely circulated over the past 48 hours".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The district attorney acknowledged the public reaction to the case as he spoke downtown Wednesday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
So far, North Korea hasn’t responded to Trump’s gesture or acknowledged the reduced nature of the drills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
It was generally acknowledged that there was a limited range of possible causes of a change in the relationship between earth and water.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
"He was a star... He had chosen the spotlight," Ditum argued, acknowledging that his story had the "misfortune" to break in the middle of a summer news vacuum.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The environmental initiative was shelved in 2013 by president Rafael Correa, who authorized crude extraction in the Yasuni National Park after acknowledging the plan's economic failure.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
The streamer also says the badge will relate to the "artist's public identity" and not about "how the music was made", acknowledging that AI tools are being used in some human music creation now.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
I spent the first three paragraphs of a recent column distinguishing between acknowledging failed climate policy and questioning climate science.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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.
