acclaim

1 of 2

verb

ac·​claim ə-ˈklām 

acclaimed; acclaiming; acclaims

transitive verb

1

: applaud, praise

Critics acclaimed her performance.

2

: to declare by acclamation

was acclaimed president of the society

intransitive verb

: to shout praise or applause

acclaimer noun

acclaim

2 of 2

noun

1

: the act of acclaiming

2

: praise, applause

She deserves acclaim for all her charitable works.

Synonyms

Verb

• praise
• applaud
• hail

Noun

• applause
• accolade
• glory
• credit
• praise
• honor

Examples of acclaim in a Sentence

Verb

The critics have acclaimed her performance.

she has long been acclaimed by the critics for her realistic acting

Noun

Her performance in the ballet earned her critical acclaim.

She deserves acclaim for all her charitable works.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

His record-breaking 666-day reign as Intercontinental Champion was universally acclaimed, and his subsequent run as World Heavyweight Champion was equally dominant until he was defeated by CM Punk at SummerSlam last weekend. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025

Both museums are particularly relevant now, because Dylan, at age 84 continues to tour worldwide, and the biopic about his early career as a folksinger, A Complete Unknown, was acclaimed by moviegoers after it was released on Christmas Day 2024. —Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Noun

From the outside, that might seem a funny outlook for the leader of a band that’s been on the ascent since dropping their 2023 debut LP, Life Under the Gun, to the acclaim of, well, just about everyone. —Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2025

Lopez, who currently resides in a $9.4 million, 9,300-square-foot La Cañada Flintridge home with his wife Courtney and their three children, achieved widespread acclaim with the role of popular high school jock A.C. Slater on the 1990s sitcom Saved by the Bell. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed (with assimilation to claim entry 1) from Middle French & Latin; Middle French acclamer, borrowed from Latin acclāmāre "to shout (at or in reaction to), raise an outcry, shout approval," from ad- ad- + clāmāre "to shout" — more at claim entry 1

Noun

derivative of acclaim entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1626, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for acclaim

• aflame
• airframe
• ballgame
• became
• declaim
• defame
• disclaim
• doorframe
• exclaim
• inflame
• mainframe
• nickname

Kids Definition

acclaim

1 of 2 verb

ac·​claim ə-ˈklām 

1

: to welcome with applause or great praise

a novel acclaimed by the critics

2

: to proclaim by or as if by acclamation

acclaimer noun

acclaim

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act of acclaiming

2

: applause, praise

Etymology

Verb

from Latin acclamare, literally "to shout at," from ac-, ad- "to, toward" and clamare "to shout" — related to claim, clamor