acquiesce

verb ac·qui·esce \ ˌa-kwē-ˈes \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

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Examples: acquiesce in a Sentence

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Definition of acquiesce

acquiesced; acquiescing

intransitive verb

: to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively —often used with in or to

See acquiesce defined for English-language learners

See acquiesce defined for kids

acquiesce was our Word of the Day on 09/21/2013. Hear the podcast!

Examples of acquiesce in a Sentence

… the tender understanding with which he had acquiesced to her wish not to consummate their relationship out of wedlock. —Dorothy West, The Wedding, 1995
… he seems to have acquiesced in his Christian Scientist wife's refusal to provide medical care … —Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review, 17 Dec. 1995
The main body of Shi'is, in and around Iraq, accepted 'Abbasid rule, or at least acquiesced in it. —Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, 1991
He passively acquired the reputation of being a snob, and acquiesced to it … —George V. Higgins, Harper's, September 1984
They demanded it, and he acquiesced.
apparently the contractor expected me to acquiesce to my own fleecing

Recent Examples of acquiesce from the Web

And the patient, struck by the urgency expressed, will acquiesce and schedule the tests without checking prices.

— WSJ, "Price Opacity Limits Optimal Use of HSAs," 27 June 2018
Teigen, 32, wrote alongside a silly photo of herself trying to acquiesce to her daughter’s demand.

— maria pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Chrissy Teigen Breastfeeds Her Son Miles and Daughter Luna’s Doll: 'I Guess I Have Twins Now'," 7 July 2018
So far, none of the companies have acquiesced to their employees’ demands.

— douglas macmillan, WSJ, "Google Reins In Workplace Debate," 28 June 2018
Not on sidewalks, trails As city officials acquiesce to electric scooters, Adamson said the council's short-term action will still limit where they can be ridden.

— james briggs, Indianapolis Star, "Now that electric scooters are all over Indianapolis, they're not going away," 28 June 2018
An up-or-down vote on the bill was a demand of many lawmakers, and Ryan has acquiesced to put the matter to bed.

— philip elliott, Time, "Republicans in Congress Search for an Immigration Bill to End Border Crisis," 20 June 2018
Seal threatened to challenge the agreement, but ultimately acquiesced.

— jenna sauers, Harper's BAZAAR, "A Post-Nup Could Save Your Marriage," 2 Mar. 2017
In the original story, Akane would protest but eventually acquiesce.

— refinery29.com, "Westworld Season 2, Episode 5 Recap: Maeve vs. Dolores," 21 May 2018
Later Sunday, Meghan McCain, the senator's daughter, told ABC News that Sadler had called her to apologize but had still not acquiesced to the younger McCain's request for a public apology.

— author: paul kane, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump advisers hail McCain but offer no apology for aide’s crude remark," 13 May 2018

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

Did You Know?

Acquiesce means essentially "to comply quietly," so it should not surprise you to learn that it is ultimately derived from the Latin verb quiescere, meaning "to be quiet." It arrived in English around 1620, via the French acquiescer, with the now obsolete sense "to rest satisfied." The earliest known recorded use of the word acquiesce in the sense of "to agree or comply" appeared in the writings of the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes in 1651. In his masterpiece Leviathan, Hobbes argued that people must subject themselves completely to a sovereign and should obey the teachings of the church. Encouraging his readers to adopt his position he wrote, "Our Beleefe . . . is in the Church; whose word we take, and acquiesce therein."

Origin and Etymology of acquiesce

borrowed from French acquiescer, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin acquiēscere "to rest, find peace, be satisfied (with)," from ad- ad- + quiēscere "to repose, be quiet" — more at quiescent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1613

in the meaning defined above

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acquiesce Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of acquiesce

assent, consent, accede, acquiesce, agree, subscribe mean to concur with what has been proposed. assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

- voters assented to the proposal

consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

- consented to their daughter's going

accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

- officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

- acquiesced to his boss's wishes

agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

- finally agreed to come along

subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.

- subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

ACQUIESCE Defined for English Language Learners

acquiesce

verb

Definition of acquiesce for English Language Learners

: to accept, agree, or allow something to happen by staying silent or by not arguing

ACQUIESCE Defined for Kids

acquiesce

verb ac·qui·esce \ ˌa-kwē-ˈes \

Definition of acquiesce for Students

acquiesced; acquiescing

: to accept, agree, or give consent by keeping silent or by not making objections

They acquiesced to the demands.

Law Dictionary

acquiesce

intransitive verb ac·qui·esce \ ˌa-kwē-ˈes \

legal Definition of acquiesce

acquiesced; acquiescing

: to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively —often used with in and sometimes with to

—

acquiescence

play \ˌa-kwē-ˈes-ᵊns\ noun

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acquiesce

Definition of acquiesce

acquiesce was our Word of the Day on 09/21/2013. Hear the podcast!

Examples of acquiesce in a Sentence

Recent Examples of acquiesce from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of acquiesce

acquiesce Synonyms

Synonyms

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Synonym Discussion of acquiesce

ACQUIESCE Defined for English Language Learners

acquiesce

Definition of acquiesce for English Language Learners

ACQUIESCE Defined for Kids

acquiesce

Definition of acquiesce for Students

Law Dictionary

acquiesce

legal Definition of acquiesce

acquiescence

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