acclaim

1 of 2

verb

ac·​claim ə-ˈklām How to pronounce acclaim (audio)
acclaimed; acclaiming; acclaims
Synonyms of acclaim

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 of acclaim

Relevance

Verb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Its award-winning and critically acclaimed films reach 300 million people worldwide in 180 countries and 33 languages across the global National Geographic channels and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2026 The film recently premiered at the New York Film Festival to acclaim and will be released theatrically by Neon on Christmas Day. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
Noun
The Amish Project debuted to critical acclaim at the New York International Fringe Festival and was developed at the Cherry Lane Theatre before premiering Off Broadway at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in 2009. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026 At 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as of release day, Possible Love has reached a level of acclaim that places Jeon into legitimate Oscar contention — another first for her. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for acclaim

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of acclaim was in 1626

Rhymes for acclaim

See All Rhymes for acclaim

Browse Nearby Words

Accius
acclaim
acclaimed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Acclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acclaim. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

acclaim

1 of 2 verb
ac·​claim ə-ˈklām How to pronounce acclaim (audio)
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

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