acknowledge

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

Updated on: 22 May 2018

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

AthenaHealth and researchers on the doctor visits study acknowledge the increase for suicidal ideation visits could actually show that more teens are seeking help after viewing the show, which is a positive development.

— jayne o'donnell, USA TODAY, "New season of '13 Reasons Why' still targeted by doctors who say it glamorizes teen suicide," 18 May 2018
The same goes for MSNBC and others going wild yesterday over the president's financial disclosure form, acknowledging a $100,000-plus payment to Michael Cohen.

— howard kurtz, Fox News, "Breaking news on Trump Tower meeting with Russians contains little news," 17 May 2018
Chris Stone, Sporting News: Kokoskov ties propel Doncic to first Stone acknowledges that the Arizona ties for both Ayton and Doncic could lead to a quandary for the Suns front office.

— azcentral, "NBA mock drafts: Experts weigh in on Phoenix Suns' options at No. 1 in 2018 NBA draft," 17 May 2018
The gathering did acknowledge the economic anxiety that helped drive millions of working-class whites from the Democrats to Donald Trump in 2016.

— The Economist, "Democrats have plenty of anger, but few good ideas," 17 May 2018
The Ghandour family acknowledged that Layla suffered from patent ductus arteriosus, a congenital heart disease commonly described as a hole in the heart.

— declan walsh, New York Times, "A Child of Gaza Dies. A Symbol Is Born. The Arguing Begins.," 16 May 2018
But the big-armed sophomore will bring a different element to the quarterback position in 2018, and Meyer acknowledged that on Monday.

— bill landis, cleveland.com, "Urban Meyer says Dwayne Haskins 'will change how we attack defenses'," 15 May 2018
Custody has been a major concern for major traders, White acknowledged, who didn’t have anyone externally to secure their assets.

— theodore schleifer, Recode, "Coinbase wants to serve big Wall Street investors so it’s offering a service for safekeeping of cryptocurrencies," 15 May 2018
Ziegler dissented in that case, but acknowledged what her colleagues had ruled.

— patrick marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Scott Walker vs. Tony Evers: The governor and a Democratic challenger go before the Supreme Court," 15 May 2018

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- (in acknow "to confess knowledge of," going back to Middle English aknowen, going back to Old English oncnāwan, acnāwan "to know, recognize, admit, confess," from a-, on-, prefixal use of on ¹on + cnāwan "to ¹know") + knowledge

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

acknowledge Synonyms

Phrases

come clean (about);

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)