acclaim

1 of 2

verb

ac·​claim ə-ˈklām How to pronounce acclaim (audio)
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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The most acclaimed during the parade were Pedri, Cubarsi, Raphinha, Yamal and Flick. Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 18 May 2025 Vast riches would flow to the AI maker and their employees would be acclaimed and undoubtedly become incredibly wealthy. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
Noun
Following its 2024 world premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and subsequent screenings in Göteborg, Chicago and Havana, Becerra’s previous feature earned critical acclaim and was later picked up by Prime Video for distribution across Latin America. Jamie Lang, Variety, 16 May 2025 Diop starred in the horror film Nanny, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and earned her widespread critical acclaim. Justin Kroll, Deadline, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for acclaim

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of acclaim was in 1626

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Acclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acclaim. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

acclaim

1 of 2 verb
ac·​claim ə-ˈklām How to pronounce acclaim (audio)
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
Etymology

Verb

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

More from Merriam-Webster on acclaim

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