Standard Lemma guide

acclaim

noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /əˈkleɪm/
  • rhymes with -eɪm
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 K L EY1 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An acclamation; a shout of applause.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, poetic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A claim.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To shout; to call out.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To express great approval (for).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • a highly-acclaimed novel
  • a widely-acclaimed article

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: applaud, cheer on, hurrah, acclaim, acclamate, hail, barrack, beclap, cheer, clap, encheer, hurray, huzzah

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To salute or praise with great approval; to compliment; to applaud; to welcome enthusiastically.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To claim.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To declare by acclamations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To elect (a politician, etc.) to an office automatically because no other candidates run; elect by acclamation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada

Topics: government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

enthusiastic approval

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the book met with modest acclaim
  • he acknowledged the plaudits of the crowd
  • they gave him more eclat than he really deserved

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: acclamation, plaudits, plaudit, eclat

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: approval, commendation

10

verb

Meaning 10

praise vociferously

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The critics hailed the young pianist as a new Rubinstein

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hail, herald

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: applaud

11

verb

Meaning 11

clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: applaud, clap, spat

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gesticulate, gesture, motion

Narrower terms: bravo

History

Etymology

* First attested in 1667.

* First attested in the early 14th century. * (to applaud): First attested in the 1630s. * Borrowed from Latin acclāmō (“raise a cry at; applaud”), formed from ad- + clāmō (“cry out, shout”).

Across languages

Translations

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Plautdietsch: Loff — acclamation
  • Spanish: aclamación — acclamation
  • Bengali: চিৎকার করা (citkar kora) — to shout
  • Central Bikol: rukyaw — to shout
  • Dutch: uitroepen — to shout
  • Finnish: huutaa — to shout
  • French: crier d'enthousiasme — to shout
  • German: zujubeln — to shout
  • Polish: aklamować — to shout
  • Russian: крича́ть (kričátʹ) — to shout
  • Spanish: gritar — to shout
  • Bengali: প্রশংসাধ্বনি (prośoṅśaddhoni) — to shout applause
  • Bulgarian: акламирам (aklamiram) — to shout applause
  • Bulgarian: одобрявам бурно (odobrjavam burno) — to shout applause
  • Catalan: aclamar — to shout applause
  • Dutch: juichen — to shout applause
  • Dutch: applaudiseren — to shout applause
  • Finnish: osoittaa suosiotaan — to shout applause
  • French: acclamer — to shout applause
  • German: applaudieren — to shout applause
  • German: klatschen — to shout applause
  • Italian: acclamare — to shout applause
  • Latin: acclamo — to shout applause
  • Māori: moemiti — to shout applause
  • Māori: whakamoemiti — to shout applause
  • Portuguese: aclamar — to shout applause
  • Russian: приве́тствовать (privétstvovatʹ) — to shout applause
  • Russian: одобря́ть (odobrjátʹ) — to shout applause
  • Spanish: aclamar — to shout applause
  • Central Bikol: rukyaw — to applaud
  • Bulgarian: аплодирам (aplodiram) — to applaud
  • Dutch: toejuichen — to applaud
  • Dutch: prijzen — to applaud
  • Dutch: loven — to applaud
  • Esperanto: aklami — to applaud
  • Finnish: osoittaa suosiotaan — to applaud
  • French: acclamer — to applaud
  • French: applaudir — to applaud
  • German: applaudieren — to applaud
  • German: klatschen — to applaud
  • Hungarian: megtapsol — to applaud
  • Italian: acclamare — to applaud
  • Italian: applaudire — to applaud
  • Māori: whakamanahau — to applaud
  • Middle English: recomaunden — to applaud
  • Norwegian: hylle — to applaud
  • Portuguese: aclamar — to applaud
  • Russian: аплоди́ровать (aplodírovatʹ) — to applaud
  • Spanish: aclamar — to applaud
  • Spanish: aplaudir — to applaud
  • Finnish: väittää — to claim
  • French: réclamer — to claim
  • Italian: reclamare — to claim
  • Portuguese: clamar — to claim
  • Portuguese: reclamar — to claim
  • Bulgarian: провъзгласявам (provǎzglasjavam) — to declare by acclamations
  • Catalan: aclamar — to declare by acclamations
  • Dutch: uitroepen (tot) — to declare by acclamations
  • Finnish: julistaa — to declare by acclamations
  • French: déclamer — to declare by acclamations
  • Italian: acclamare — to declare by acclamations
  • Polish: aklamować — to declare by acclamations
  • Portuguese: aclamar — to declare by acclamations
  • Russian: провозглаша́ть (provozglašátʹ) — to declare by acclamations
  • Russian: провозгласи́ть (provozglasítʹ) — to declare by acclamations
  • Spanish: aclamar — to declare by acclamations
Real reading context

acclaim in complete knowledge articles