acknowledge
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to accept or admit that something is true or exists.
to recognize the existence, truth, or validity of something. Transitive; often followed by a 'that' clause or a noun phrase.
Simple“The government finally acknowledged that the new law was not working.”
In context“Historians now acknowledge the significant role that local communities played in the resistance movement during the occupation.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to tell someone that you have received their letter, email, or package.
to report the receipt of a communication or delivery to the sender.
Simple“Please acknowledge this email so I know you got the files.”
In context“The department will acknowledge your application within three working days of its arrival at the central office.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to publicly thank someone or show that you notice their hard work.
to express gratitude or give formal recognition for a benefit, favour, or contribution.
Simple“The author acknowledged her research assistant in the first chapter of the book.”
In context“In the preface, the lead scientist acknowledged the generous funding provided by the national research council over the last decade.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
to show that you have seen someone, for example by smiling or waving.
to show that one has noticed or recognized someone by making a gesture or greeting.
Simple“He acknowledged me with a small nod as he walked past my desk.”
In context“Despite their professional rivalry, the two CEOs acknowledged each other briefly before the conference began.”
Usage acknowledge limitation · acknowledge role · approach acknowledge
“Iran is also hoping that the US will simply “acknowledge defeat and leave the region”, said the professor.”
“Time will tell if the government will face this reality, or whether some things remain too inconvenient to acknowledge.”
Recorded since 1553, a blend of Middle English aknowen (“to recognize, acknowledge”) and knowlechen (“to discover, reveal, acknowledge”). The former verb is from Old English oncnāwan, ācnāwan (“to know, recognize, acknowledge”), from on + cnāwan (“to know”). The latter is derived from the noun at hand in knowledge. For the formation compare Latin agnōscō and Russian призна́ть (priznátʹ), with cognate roots. The /k/-sound was preserved by being redistributed to the preceding syllable: /əˈkn-/ > /əkˈn-/. The -c- was inserted accordingly to reflect this pronunciation more clearly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.