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 of acclaim

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

The country contingent is led by Parker McCollum and Cole Swindell, both of whom are as acclaimed for their songwriting skills as well as for their performance skills. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026

Kamayan moves next door Kamayan ATL, the joyful and widely acclaimed Filipino restaurant on Buford Highway, has relocated to a new space directly next to its original location. — Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Noun

Second was some neat control near the right-touchline, drawing acclaim from the crowd, and a brief carry forward. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

Receiving acclaim for those realistic portrayals still doesn’t feel real to Infiniti. — Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026

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