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:
“There is no clear understanding yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda, although all three parties acknowledge the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting taking place,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Most players involved were forced to acknowledge the whole story had been nonsense.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
That’s either a masterful, high-stakes long game of passive-aggressive behavior or a level of stubbornness and unwillingness to acknowledge a mistake that is quickly and badly damaging the show’s reputation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, under scrutiny over her legal credentials, seemed to acknowledge Thursday that she had failed the bar exam, but argued she was accurate in presenting herself as a lawyer.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
I didn’t give myself another minute to question this decision, or a minute to acknowledge the sweat pouring from the palms of my hands.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Felipe taught himself how to program as a teenager and is developing his own game, although he acknowledges that working in Cuba throws up constant obstacles.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Some people in the US "still hate the look of solar", Kate Collardson acknowledges.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Edwards acknowledges that perhaps it’s simply too early for the benefits of AI to be showing up in TFP data but still, he does cite another economist Rob Parenteau on the trends.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
And despite his upbeat perspective, even Stubb acknowledges that Europe needs to forge new partnerships in “a world of disorder.”
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
He acknowledges me now with a devious smile.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Asked about his vote in a recent debate, Mr. Jackson acknowledged “it did cost more than it should have.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
The EU said Ukraine's specific steel quota guaranteed exports of the metal, but acknowledged this was at a "level lower than in the past years".
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
It said it obtained proof that copies of the data were destroyed, but acknowledged there was no way to know for sure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Rubio also acknowledged the season, and added "there are other instances we've heard complaints about."
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
I began thinking about what would happen if we all just acknowledged our brokenness, if we owned up to our weaknesses, our deficits, our biases, our fears.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
But acknowledging a property’s cheesy elements isn’t the same as generating consistent laughs from the situation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Warsh focused on the surge in investment thanks to artificial intelligence while acknowledging that inflation was elevated.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The other option is to shift the recipient of the compliment by acknowledging the help of others by adding, “Our local suppliers are a big help,” or “It was a pleasure to serve you.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
With decades-long careers in public office, both Jackson and Collins are striking a balance between defending their records and acknowledging that voters think the status quo is broken.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
I'm scared of what acknowledging any of this says about me.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
