acquiesce

verb ac·qui·esce \ ˌa-kwē-ˈes \

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

Legal troubles notwithstanding, Arpaio, then 84, appeared to acquiesce to the end of his long political career, celebrating his retirement in January at an event that included friend and actor Steven Seagal.

— amy b. wang, chicagotribune.com, "Arpaio, 85, hints at return to politics after pardon from Trump," 26 Aug. 2017
This industry carries increasing political weight, with the tobacco industry lobbying to rescind regulations on vape products enacted under the Obama administration, and the Trump administration likely to acquiesce.

— james hamblin, The Atlantic, "Smoking Versus Edibles," 18 Aug. 2017
But there were no signs the U.S. would acquiesce to China's call for a quick return to negotiations.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Pence for president in 2020? 'Laughable and absurd,' the vice president says," 6 Aug. 2017
But there were no signs the U.S. would acquiesce to China’s call for a quick return to negotiations.

— Washington Post, "China urges N. Korea to halt tests as global pressure mounts," 6 Aug. 2017
So the House passed a bill that largely acquiesced in the law’s subsidies and Medicaid expansion, while allowing only a little room for states to experiment with alternative regulatory approaches.

— doug badger, National Review, "Obamacare Repeal and Replace, R.I.P.," 28 July 2017
Sources tell CNN that the MRC acquiesced and will no longer give the award to him.

— jack moore, GQ, "Sean Hannity Freaks Out After a Conservative Group Reportedly Rescinds the Award It Was Going to Give Him," 21 July 2017
Not acquiescing to the pressures from the record company to write power ballads.

— chris varias, Cincinnati.com, "Chicago comes to Cincinnati," 10 July 2017
Initial results Putin acquiesced to U.S. abrogation of 1972 Anti‑Ballistic Missile treaty and was the first foreign leader to call Bush after 9/11.

— henry meyer, Bloomberg.com, "Doing Business With Putin," 5 July 2017

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

French acquiescer, from Latin acquiescere, from ad- + quiescere to be quiet — more at quiescent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1613

See Words from the same year

acquiesce Synonyms

Synonyms

accede, agree, assent, come round, consent, subscribe

Antonyms

dissent

Related Words

adopt, embrace, espouse; abide, bear (with), endure, stand, suffer, tolerate; stomach, swallow, take; bow, knuckle under, relent, submit, succumb, yield

Near Antonyms

rebuff, refuse, reject, scorn, spurn; deny, gainsay

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

Learn More about acquiesce

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

Seen and Heard

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

show

acquiesce

Definition of acquiesce

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

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

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

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

Learn More about acquiesce

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

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

The Exceptions Quiz III

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066