acknowledge

Meanings

1. To accept or admit that something is true.
2. To show that you have noticed or received something.

Example sentences

• "She acknowledged that she had made a mistake."

  Level B2, Meaning 1

• "Please acknowledge this email when you receive it."

  Level B2, Meaning 2

• "He did not even acknowledge me in the hallway."

  Level C1, Meaning 2

• "The author acknowledges the help of many friends."

  Level C1, Meaning 2

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• admit : Admit means to say reluctantly that something is true, often something bad. Acknowledge is neutral and can be positive.

Word family and forms

Forms: acknowledges, acknowledged, acknowledging

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "acknowledge".

• acknowledge a mistake
• acknowledge receipt
• acknowledge the fact
• publicly acknowledge
• acknowledge a problem
• generally acknowledged

Origin

Acknowledge was formed in the 1500s from two older English words, one meaning to know or recognize and one related to knowledge. The sounds of the k and the g settled into the spelling we use today.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

"Acknowledge" is more formal than "admit" and doesn't necessarily imply wrongdoing.

How to remember it

Acknowledge begins with "ac" and has "knowledge" inside it: to acknowledge is to show your knowledge of something.

Test yourself

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