acknowledge

verb ac·knowl·edge \ ik-ˈnä-lij , ak- \

Definition of acknowledge

acknowledged; acknowledging

transitive verb

1 :to recognize the rights, authority, or status of

They acknowledged him as their leader.

2 :to disclose knowledge of or agreement with

She readily acknowledged her mistake.

3 a :to express gratitude or obligation for

acknowledge a gift

b :to take notice of

failed to acknowledge my greeting

c :to make known the receipt of

acknowledge a letter

4 :to recognize as genuine or valid

acknowledge a debt

See acknowledge defined for English-language learners

See acknowledge defined for kids

Examples of acknowledge in a Sentence

They acknowledged that the decision was a mistake.
Do you acknowledge that you caused this mess?
They readily acknowledged their mistake.
She won't acknowledge responsibility for her actions.
He quickly acknowledges all of my e-mails when he receives them.
Please acknowledge receipt of this letter.
She acknowledged the gift with a card.
She acknowledged his greeting with a smile.

Recent Examples of acknowledge from the Web

Glass, a lawyer by trade, explained the university had investigated the allegations and found no wrongdoing but also acknowledged that practices deemed acceptable at other schools didn’t necessarily meet Indiana’s standard.

— michael marot, The Seattle Times, "Former Indiana coach makes return appearance with Buckeyes," 30 Aug. 2017
The enamel coating protects the pipes from corrosion — and is far more significant than the outer, fiberglass wrap that Enbridge acknowledged in February was sloughing off the underwater pipe in spots.

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "'Bare metal' exposed on parts of underwater Straits of Mackinac oil pipeline," 30 Aug. 2017
This just doesn’t happen at a basketball school like Indiana, which makes Thursday an unprecedented opportunity for IU to sell itself in a national marketplace — college football — that rarely acknowledges it.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Historic buzz for biggest IU football game in 50 years," 30 Aug. 2017
Thurgood Marshall might have been pleased to see a historic wrong acknowledged.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "The Case Thurgood Marshall Never Forgot," 30 Aug. 2017
This, too, is an ancient Japanese tradition, dating back to one of its emperors, a way of preserving the past, acknowledging its fractures and cracks.

— zan romanoff, Bon Appetit, "We Go to This Restaurant Just to Stare at the Ceramics," 29 Aug. 2017
Public service announcements featuring politicians always come with some level of controversy, Mandel's staff acknowledges.

— chrissie thompson, Cincinnati.com, "The constant re-imagining of Josh Mandel," 27 Aug. 2017
According to British Vogue, Will acknowledged the Austin family's bravery for opening up about Maddy's struggles.

— andrea park, SELF, "Prince William Addresses Princess Diana's Bulimia for the First Time," 22 Aug. 2017
Facebook, to its credit, saw the phenomenon coming: in a 2013 earnings call, then Chief Financial Officer David Ebersman acknowledged that teens were logging off the social network in growing numbers.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Facebook Is Facing a Demographic Time Bomb," 22 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acknowledge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of acknowledge

ac- (as in accord) + knowledge

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

acknowledge Synonyms

Synonyms

admit, agree, allow, concede, confess, fess (up), grant, own (up to)

Antonyms

deny

Related Words

disburden, unburden, unload; affirm, avow, confirm, profess; accept, recognize, yield; announce, break, broadcast, communicate, declare, disclose, divulge, impart, proclaim, publish, reveal, spill, tell, unveil; betray, blab, expose, give away, inform, leak, rat, squeal, talk, tattle, tip (off), warn, wise (up); breathe, say, whisper

Near Antonyms

disallow, disavow, disclaim, disown; contradict, dispute, gainsay, negate, negative; rebut, refute, reject, repudiate; conceal, cover (up), hide, obscure, veil; kid (oneself)

Synonym Discussion of acknowledge

acknowledge, admit, own, avow, confess mean to disclose against one's will or inclination. acknowledge implies the disclosing of something that has been or might be concealed.

- acknowledged an earlier peccadillo

admit implies reluctance to disclose, grant, or concede and refers usually to facts rather than their implications.

- admitted the project was over budget

own implies acknowledging something in close relation to oneself.

- must own I know little about computers

avow implies boldly declaring, often in the face of hostility, what one might be expected to be silent about.

- avowed that he was a revolutionary

confess may apply to an admission of a weakness, failure, omission, or guilt.

- confessed a weakness for sweets

ACKNOWLEDGE Defined for English Language Learners

acknowledge

verb

Definition of acknowledge for English Language Learners

: to say that you accept or do not deny the truth or existence of (something)
: to regard or describe (someone or something) as having or deserving a particular status
: to tell or show someone that something (such as a letter or message) has been received

ACKNOWLEDGE Defined for Kids

acknowledge

verb ac·knowl·edge \ ik-ˈnä-lij , ak- \

Definition of acknowledge for Students

acknowledged; acknowledging

1 :to admit the truth or existence of

They acknowledged their mistake.

2 :to make known that something has been received or noticed

He refuses to acknowledge my generosity.

3 :to recognize the rights or authority of

They acknowledged her as captain.

4 :to express thanks or appreciation for acknowledge a gift

Law Dictionary

acknowledge

transitive verb ac·knowl·edge

legal Definition of acknowledge

acknowledged; acknowledging

1 :to indicate recognition and acceptance of

the power of taxation in the general and state governments is acknowledged to be concurrent
—McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. 316 (1819)

2 a :to show by word or act that one has knowledge of and accepts responsibility for (a duty, obligation, or indebtedness)

b :to admit paternity of

will acknowledge the child as his

— compare filiate

3 :to make known to a sender or giver the receipt of (what has been sent or given) or the fact of (one's having received what has been sent or given)

acknowledge receipt of a letter

4 :to recognize as genuine so as to give validity :avow or admit in legal form

the execution of any such power of attorney shall be acknowledged before one of the officers
—U.S. Code

Learn More about acknowledge

See words that rhyme with acknowledge Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for acknowledge Spanish Central: Translation of acknowledge Nglish: Translation of acknowledge for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of acknowledge for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up acknowledge? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

acknowledge

Definition of acknowledge

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of acknowledge in a Sentence

Recent Examples of acknowledge from the Web

Origin and Etymology of acknowledge

acknowledge Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of acknowledge

ACKNOWLEDGE Defined for English Language Learners

acknowledge

Definition of acknowledge for English Language Learners

ACKNOWLEDGE Defined for Kids

acknowledge

Definition of acknowledge for Students

Law Dictionary

acknowledge

legal Definition of acknowledge

Learn More about acknowledge

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

I'll Have the Us(ual)

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066