acquiesce
Americanverb (used without object)
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acquiesces,
present (3rd person singular)
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acquiesced,
past participle, past
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acquiescing
present participle
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
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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:
I’d rather be called a prude than acquiesce to society’s slow drift into vice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
You are correct: You will get pulled under financially, spiritually and emotionally if you continue to acquiesce to his demands or play host to his decades-long pity parties.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 3, 2026
Amodei said on Thursday he would rather stop working with the Pentagon than acquiesce to such threats.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
While Disney is said to have been adamant that he didn’t want his park to be a coaster haven, he could acquiesce for the right, story-driven project, as evidenced by the 1950s creation the Matterhorn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025
I could not but acquiesce, for I was “dog-tired,” and could not have sat up had I tried.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
You say everyone acquiesces to the older brother.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
So the girl acquiesces and, in the next episode, we watch the dentist go to work on Evans’ mouth.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026
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
But in the spirit of politeness and family unity, she acquiesces to Paul’s desire for a nice family Thanksgiving, despite their political differences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
But the sculptor, with his insight, acquiesces, so this man need not pity him.
From Browning's Heroines by Maxwell Armfield
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
Leadership acquiesced, putting a near-total pause on humanities Ph.D. applications this fall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 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
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
That said, you are not wrong or rude for not acquiescing to their every suggestion.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 26, 2025
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
UCLA, Washington, Sacramento State and UC Davis offered spots as a walk-on, finally acquiescing to Moayed’s passionate pitch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
