acknowledge

- definition

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

verb [transitive] British English pronunciation: acknowledge

/əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/

present tense
I/you/we/they	acknowledge
he/she/it	acknowledges
present participle	acknowledging
past tense	acknowledged
past participle	acknowledged

1
to accept or admit that something exists, is true, or is real
He never acknowledges his mistakes (=admits that he has made them).
acknowledge that:
She won’t acknowledge that there’s a problem.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acknowledge
1. a.
  [usually passive] to know or recognize that someone or something is important
  acknowledge something as being/to be something:
  Wimbledon is widely acknowledged as being the premier tennis tournament.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acknowledge
2
to let someone know that you have received something they sent you
Unfortunately, we cannot acknowledge all the letters we receive.
acknowledge receipt of something:
We will acknowledge receipt of your order if requested.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acknowledge
1. a.
  to thank someone for something they have done or given you, especially in writing or by saying it publicly
  We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of everyone who helped us.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acknowledge
3
to show that you have seen someone or that you recognize them, for example by smiling or speaking to them
They barely acknowledge each other in public.
acknowledge someone’s presence:
James acknowledged his lawyer’s presence with a small nod.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acknowledge
1. a.
  to show that you are grateful to people who are clapping or cheering for you by waving your hand, nodding your head etc
  She stood back and acknowledged the applause of the crowd.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of acknowledge

This is the British English definition of acknowledge. View American English definition of acknowledge.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

More BuzzWords

BuzzWord archive

Word of the Day

zeugma

the use of a word twice in the same sentence but with different meanings. The sentence ‘She...

Word of the Day

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

More submissions

view entries

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog