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ac·knowl·edge | \ ik-ˈnä-lij 
, ak-\
, ak-\acknowledged; acknowledging
Definition of acknowledge
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
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web That's an important point, because there's significant evidence that the gameplay shown on that tape was indeed produced by MAME emulation (a fact Mitchell himself has grudgingly semi-acknowledged in the past).
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Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Former Donkey Kong champ threatens to sue Guinness over record removal," 12 Sep. 2019 The problem wasn’t publicly acknowledged until 2017, when the city made a plan to distribute water filters to some residents.
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Molly Enking, WIRED, "Flint, Newark, and the Persistent Crisis of Lead in Water," 28 Aug. 2019 Heading into his postgame press conference, Beckham Jr. acknowledged the moment and felt the love from Infante, along with the New York crowd as a whole.
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Hayden Grove, cleveland.com, "Odell Beckham Jr. signs special autograph for fan who will have it tattooed," 17 Sep. 2019 The Academic force is strong with these ones, and has been properly acknowledged.
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SI.com, "Fikayo Tomori: The Other Academy Graduate Thriving at Frank Lampard's Chelsea," 16 Sep. 2019 Davis acknowledged that the story could be apocryphal; his source was the grandson of the man in question.
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Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Knives made of frozen feces don’t make the cut, disproving well-known legend," 16 Sep. 2019 Supporters celebrated the victory, but acknowledged challenges ahead.
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Rachel Swan, SFChronicle.com, "Measure clears way for tax hikes on ballot to address Bay Area housing crisis," 14 Sep. 2019 The reality is that the new rules explicitly acknowledge that the Endangered Species Act forbids economic considerations from influencing listing decisions.
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Shawn Regan, National Review, "The New Endangered-Species Regulations Are Good for Species," 12 Sep. 2019 Crusius' family issued a statement through their lawyer acknowledging the indictment as well as the victims of the shooting.
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CBS News, "Alleged El Paso shooter indicted on capital murder charges," 12 Sep. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for acknowledge
acknowledge
verbEnglish 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
verbac·knowl·edge | \ ik-ˈnä-lij , ak-\
, 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 verbac·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
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