acclaim

1 of 2

verb

ac·​claim ə-ˈklām 

acclaimed; acclaiming; acclaims

transitive verb

1

: applaud, praise

Critics acclaimed her performance.

2

: to declare by acclamation

was acclaimed president of the society

intransitive verb

: to shout praise or applause

acclaimer noun

acclaim

2 of 2

noun

1

: the act of acclaiming

2

: praise, applause

She deserves acclaim for all her charitable works.

Synonyms

Verb

• accredit
• applaud
• cheer
• crack up
• hail
• laud
• praise
• salute
• tout

Noun

• accolade
• applause
• bay(s)
• credit
• distinction
• glory
• homage
• honor
• kudos
• laud
• laurels
• props [slang]
• réclame
• sun

Examples of acclaim in a Sentence

Verb

The critics have acclaimed her performance.

she has long been acclaimed by the critics for her realistic acting

Noun

Her performance in the ballet earned her critical acclaim.

She deserves acclaim for all her charitable works.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Whether that timeline can change or has changed is uncertain and, in any case, the point of this article is actually not to exert pressure or to acclaim Newcastle as future champions, but rather to recognise and celebrate an extraordinary moment in their history. —George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 May 2025

This year’s revival featuring Scherzinger has been equally critically acclaimed, with several Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award nominations under its belt and praise coming from the likes of Heidi Klum and Oprah Winfrey. —Dan Heching, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025

Noun

Premiering in January 2023, The Traitors has gone on to widespread acclaim, even winning Emmys for Outstanding Reality Competition Program and Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program (Alan Cumming on cunning form). —Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025

The fact that expectation levels are high for Culpa Nuestra is no surprise given the success of the previous films, which are short on critical acclaim but are beloved by fans around the world. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 7 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed (with assimilation to claim entry 1) from Middle French & Latin; Middle French acclamer, borrowed from Latin acclāmāre "to shout (at or in reaction to), raise an outcry, shout approval," from ad- ad- + clāmāre "to shout" — more at claim entry 1

Noun

derivative of acclaim entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1626, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for acclaim

• aflame
• airframe
• ballgame
• became
• declaim
• defame
• disclaim
• doorframe
• exclaim
• inflame
• mainframe
• nickname

Kids Definition

acclaim

1 of 2 verb

ac·​claim ə-ˈklām 

1

: to welcome with applause or great praise

a novel acclaimed by the critics

2

: to proclaim by or as if by acclamation

acclaimer noun

acclaim

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act of acclaiming

2

: applause, praise

Etymology

Verb

from Latin acclamare, literally "to shout at," from ac-, ad- "to, toward" and clamare "to shout" — related to claim, clamor