acknowledge

verb

ac·knowl·edge | \ ik-ˈnä-lij

, ak-\

acknowledged; acknowledging

Definition of acknowledge

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.

3a : 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

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about acknowledge

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for acknowledge

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

deny

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

One advantage that a new house has over an old one is a more modern layout, a blueprint that acknowledges how families live today. — Nancy Hass, ELLE Decor, "This Brian J. McCarthy-Designed Hamptons Home is Filled with the Unexpected," 13 Mar. 2019 This week, federal legislators made an important step in acknowledging the harms of that decades-long campaign and the federal government’s failure to intervene. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "By passing the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act this week, the Senate acknowledged its role in decades of racial terrorism.," 21 Dec. 2018 Intel officials acknowledged the extreme difficulty of this lofty goal. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "Intel hopes to clean up toxic speech in game chat with AI and machine learning," 20 Mar. 2019 The board learned of the depth of the problems in September 2017, according to the Journal, and GE acknowledged them publicly shortly after. — Michael Rapoport, WSJ, "How GE Built Up and Wrote Down $22 Billion in Assets," 13 Mar. 2019 The agency acknowledged the lapse in a statement to CNN. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Passenger Accidentally Brought Firearm on Flight, TSA Confirms," 14 Jan. 2019 Trump has denied the affair allegations but acknowledges a hush-money payment was made. — Greg Norman | Fox News, Fox News, "Michael Avenatti ordered by judge to hand over $4.85 million in back pay to attorney at his former law firm," 23 Oct. 2018 And let’s also acknowledge when a woman-centric film fits into a longstanding male-centric genre, like how Girls Trip is definitely a buddy comedy. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "So, What Exactly Is a Rom-Com Actually?," 13 Feb. 2019 After Palm Sunday comes Holy Wednesday, which acknowledges Judas Iscariot’s plan to deceive Jesus. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "When is Lent? Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Christian Holiday," 13 Feb. 2019

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about acknowledge

Dictionary Entries near acknowledge

Statistics for acknowledge

Last Updated

10 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for acknowledge

The first known use of acknowledge was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for acknowledge

acknowledge

verb

English Language Learners Definition of acknowledge

: 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

See the full definition for acknowledge in the English Language Learners Dictionary

acknowledge

verb

ac·knowl·edge | \ ik-ˈnä-lij

, ak-\

acknowledged; acknowledging

Kids Definition of acknowledge

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

acknowledge

transitive verb

ac·knowl·edge

acknowledged; acknowledging

Legal Definition of acknowledge

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)

2a : 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