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

Lifelong friends, all four founding members remained on good terms: as a duo, Holsapple and Stamey made two (again, critically acclaimed and modestly selling) albums, and in 2005 the four reunited for a pair of shows. —Bill Kopp, SPIN, 6 June 2024

The comedic actor — acclaimed for his work on screen in projects like Ugly Betty and Single All the Way — played Sir Robin (among other parts) in the recent revival of Spamalot, though had to depart the production in January 2024 to film the second season of AppleTV+'s Shrinking. —Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 29 May 2024

Noun

The British star first received critical acclaim for his role as a young Prince Charles on Netflix’s The Crown, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. —Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 4 June 2024

The party, which rose to international acclaim on the shoulders of Nelson Mandela, will now have two weeks to cobble together a government by partnering with one or more rival parties that have derided it as corrupt and vowed never to form an alliance with it. —John Eligon, New York Times, 1 June 2024

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

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