acknowledgment

noun

ac·​knowl·​edg·​ment ik-ˈnä-lij-mənt 

ak-

variants or acknowledgement

1

a

: the act of acknowledging something or someone

acknowledgment of a mistake

b

: recognition or favorable notice of an act or achievement

received acknowledgment for his charitable works

2

: a thing done or given in recognition of something received

an author's acknowledgments of assistance

3

law : a declaration or avowal of one's act or of a fact to give it legal validity

Synonyms

• citation
• commendation
• mention

Examples of acknowledgment in a Sentence

They made several public acknowledgments of their company's mistake.

He paid the fine without acknowledgment of his guilt.

Special acknowledgments will be made at the end of the meeting.

He has finally received the acknowledgment he deserves for his charitable work.

They presented him with an award in acknowledgment of his charitable work.

He's the first person mentioned in the book's acknowledgments.

We sent an acknowledgment that we received their letter.

He never received an acknowledgment of his payment.

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite acknowledgment of the value of RWD/RWE, organizations have only begun to tap into the full potential. —Premier Contributor, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Somebody Somewhere ends with an acknowledgment that life will always be hard and this place may never feel fully like a home, but Sam can survive and be happy here, and that’s more than enough. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024

Filmmaking is inherently collaborative, more than most arts, and even the office assistants toward the end of the credits sequences (especially the office assistants) deserve acknowledgment for doing a stressful, surprisingly difficult job. —Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024

The report concludes with the management's acknowledgment of material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting, including lack of a functioning audit committee and inadequate segregation of duties. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

acknowledge + -ment

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing acknowledgment

• land acknowledgment

Kids Definition

acknowledgment

noun

ac·​knowl·​edg·​ment

variants also acknowledgement

ik-ˈnäl-ij-mənt 

ak-

1

a

: the act of acknowledging

b

: an act of acknowledging some deed or achievement

2

: something done or given in return for something received

Legal Definition

acknowledgment

noun

ac·​knowl·​edg·​ment

variants also acknowledgement

1

a

: the act of acknowledging

b

: the act of admitting paternity compare filiation

2

: a thing done or given in recognition of something received

an acknowledgment came in the mail

3

a

: a declaration or avowal of one's act or a fact to give it legal validity

specifically : a declaration before a duly qualified public officer (as a notary public) by a person who has executed an instrument that the execution was the person's free act and deed

b

: the formal certificate made by an officer before whom one has acknowledged a deed including as an essential part the signature and often the seal of the officer