acquiesce
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
Usage
The use of to after acquiesce was formerly regarded as incorrect, but is now acceptable
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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acquiescencenoun
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acquiescentadjective
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nonacquiescingadjective
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acquiescentlyadverb
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acquiescinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acquiescesimple
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acquiescessimple
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have acquiescedperfect
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has acquiescedperfect
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am acquiescingprogressive
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are acquiescingprogressive
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is acquiescingprogressive
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have been acquiescingperfect progressive
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has been acquiescingperfect progressive
Past
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acquiescedsimple
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had acquiescedperfect
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was acquiescingprogressive
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were acquiescingprogressive
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had been acquiescingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of acquiesce
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin acquiēscere “to find rest in, ” equivalent to ac- ac- + quiē- + -sc- inchoative suffix + -ere infinitive suffix
Explanation
To acquiesce is to agree to something or to give in. If your kid sister is refusing to hand over the television remote, you hope she acquiesces before your favorite show comes on. The verb acquiesce comes from the Latin word acquiescere, meaning “to rest.” If you “rest” or become passive in the face of something to which you object, you are giving tacit agreement. In other words, you acquiesce. If you want to go hiking with your family and your children are not interested, it will be a very tough day on the trail until they acquiesce.
Vocabulary lists containing acquiesce
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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The Declaration of Independence
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Like others, he felt he had little choice but to acquiesce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
Sometimes, it’s easier to say “no” to a request than to resist someone pulling at your heartstrings to acquiesce to their wishes.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
Amodei said on Thursday he would rather stop working with the Pentagon than acquiesce to such threats.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
The social compact that endured since that trauma was that Iranians would acquiesce to hardship and restrictions in return for a strong state that protects them from foreign attack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
“If you do not acquiesce, others will. We will And someone who will support this repair. We will take our business elsewhere.”
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
He will hope the new leader acquiesces to his plea to be allowed to remain in the job until next May.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026
“Their relationship is interesting, because the second that Olivia is around her big sister in person, she actually acquiesces to her,” Olagundoye says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2024
When Haider acquiesces to his dad’s expectations — he finds a job, and his wife is forced out of hers — the entire home’s stability comes tumbling down.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2023
My son acquiesces to her to avoid arguments.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2022
But, grant a second life, he heartily acquiesces; he sees triumph in misfortune’s worst assaults, and gain in all the loss.
From The Browning Cyclop?dia A Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning by Berdoe, Edward
He made a case to your grandmother to reduce your inheritance to 10% from one-third and she acquiesced.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Motion Picture Association and the U.S. ambassador to Canada had pressed the country to change the policy, and the government acquiesced late Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
It has just acquiesced to the status quo until it can decide.
From Slate ● May 5, 2026
That means U.S. air operations could expand Japan’s involvement, if Tokyo acquiesced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025
Sergeant Maples acquiesced to the inevitable and did combat with the defendant that afternoon.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
You could forgive sellers who end up acquiescing and agreeing to the ‘old’ rates, in the hope that they ultimately get a higher price for their home.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
Big banks have already been acquiescing to Musk’s unusual demands, including paying up front for Grok subscriptions, thus juicing SpaceX’s flagging A.I. revenue.
From Slate ● May 15, 2026
And pushed back again when the team insisted and said where to do it, saying: "I'll tell you when we're going to swap" before eventually acquiescing.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025
Next, is kowtowing, accommodating and acquiescing to the whims and ego of that aging superstar or find yourself gone before your tenure is up.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2024
By acquiescing in an act that can cause such suffering to a living creature, who among us is not diminished as a human being?
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
