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:
But he is now prepared to acknowledge that Smith is the exception.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
I’d prefer it if our current politicians could acknowledge that.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
As always, McVay is quick to acknowledge the early NFL opportunities he was afforded and the lessons learned from his grandfather, John McVay, and the Gruden and Shanahan families.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
While they acknowledge some of his behaviour was still problematic, it was decided his risk of reoffending had been reduced enough for him to be released - with 10 licence conditions.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
I think this is an opportune time to acknowledge just how smart C.C. the snowy owl is.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
While this will likely be upgraded at some point, Cryer, a veteran of the mining industry, acknowledges that predicting the long-run price of copper is far from straightforward.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
"We are still a bit of a pirate ship," a senior Reform figure acknowledges privately.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The LZ collaboration also acknowledges the assistance of the Sanford Underground Research Facility.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
He also acknowledges that he is still learning what it means to be in this elected office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
We pass him in the hall; he barely acknowledges Rhiannon and completely ignores me.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
He also acknowledged that if the U.S. slows AI development alongside China, and the latter defects, it could lead to China’s geopolitical dominance.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
The German fitness company acknowledged the "legitimate concerns" but urged people not to direct their frustration at the athlete herself.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Sweeney later acknowledged that by failing to comment on the furore, it had only "widened the divide".
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Even after his win in New York, Zverev acknowledged a gap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
She explains that certain creatures are allowed to scare and harass unsuspecting people if they wander someplace generally acknowledged to be spooky—like graveyards, old abandoned mansions, dark caves, and under beds.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
In an interview with the BBC last week, Chancellor John Healey called for a restoration of "confidence about Britain" despite acknowledging the challenge of "historic high" borrowing costs.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Now it aims to help flag football secure a spot at Brisbane 2032, with NFL executive Peter O'Reilly acknowledging that is a key reason for playing in Australia.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
"I think it is overdue that we have another fundamental look," said McDonald, acknowledging the archipelago's "iconic status" in the UK as a result of its victory in the war over 40 years ago.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
While acknowledging that evaluations of a new AI model can take days to run, he says Astra’s “most AGI obvious feature” is the ability to combine computer control with its image- and video-generation ability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Her family was so used to her weird brand of humor that they had stopped acknowledging it a long time ago.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
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.
