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

• accredit
• applaud
• cheer
• crack up
• hail
• laud
• praise
• salute
• tout

Noun

• accolade
• applause
• bay(s)
• credit
• distinction
• glory
• homage
• honor
• kudos
• laud
• laurels
• props [slang]
• réclame
• sun

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

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

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