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

Helen Schneider, acclaimed internationally for powerful portrayals in musicals like Sunset Boulevard, Evita, and her one-woman show A Walk on the Weill Side, embraced the complexities of portraying Leonard Bernstein. —Court Stroud, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025

If directors Joe and Anthony Russo expected their latest movie to be critically acclaimed, their brains are probably short-circuiting right now. —Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2025

Noun

The show, which hit number one on Netflix after its release, has received widespread acclaim for its writing, directing, and performances—including from Cooper. —Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 20 Mar. 2025

Flagg already was considered the likely No. 1 pick even before the 6-foot-9 swingman backed up the acclaim accompanying his arrival on campus by emerging as a national player of the year front-runner his freshman season. —Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 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