ac ‧ knowl ‧ edge S3 W3 AC /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ $ -ˈnɑː-/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ acknowledge ; noun : ↑ acknowledgement ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: ac- (as in accord ) + knowledge ]
1 . ADMIT to admit or accept that something is true or that a situation exists:
The family acknowledge the need for change.
acknowledge that
He acknowledges that when he’s tired he gets bad-tempered.
Claire acknowledged that she was guilty.
The government must acknowledge what is happening and do something about it.
‘Maybe you are right,’ she acknowledged.
This is a fact that most smokers readily acknowledge.
2 . RECOGNIZE STH’S IMPORTANCE [usually passive] if people acknowledge something, they recognize how good or important it is
acknowledge something as something
The film festival is acknowledged as an event of international importance.
be widely/generally acknowledged to be something
The mill produces what is widely acknowledged to be the finest wool in the world.
3 . ACCEPT SB’S AUTHORITY to accept that someone or something has authority over people:
Both defendants refused to acknowledge the authority of the court.
acknowledge somebody as something
Many of the poor acknowledged him as their spiritual leader.
4 . THANK to publicly announce that you are grateful for the help that someone has given you:
We wish to acknowledge the support of the university.
5 . SHOW YOU NOTICE SOMEBODY to show someone that you have noticed them or heard what they have said:
Tom acknowledged her presence by a brief glance.
6 . SAY YOU HAVE RECEIVED SOMETHING to let someone know that you have received something from them:
I would be grateful if you would acknowledge receipt of this letter.
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THESAURUS
■ admit something is true
▪ admit to agree unwillingly that something is true:
He admitted that the company was having financial difficulties.
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I must admit I was disappointed by their reaction.
▪ concede formal to admit something in a discussion or argument:
‘You may be right,’ Bridget conceded.
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It was a decision which he now concedes was incorrect.
▪ acknowledge /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/ formal to say that something is true or that a situation exists:
The report acknowledges that research on animals is not always a reliable guide when it comes to humans.
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They do not want to acknowledge the fact that things have changed.
▪ confess to admit something that you feel embarrassed or ashamed about:
Bradley confessed that he struggled to finish the race.
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I must confess I don’t like his wife at all.
▪ Granted/I grant you formal spoken used when admitting that something is true, although you do not think it makes much difference to the main point. Granted is usually used at the beginning of a sentence, or on its own:
She has a lot of experience, I grant you, but she’s not good at managing people.
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Granted he did play well in the last game, but generally his form hasn't had been very good recently.