acquaint
verb
Simple meaning
To make someone aware of something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhkwayntSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əkˈweɪnt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitivefollowed by with
To furnish or give experimental knowledge of; to make (one) know; to make familiar.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Rare
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (transitive, followed by with) To furnish or give experimental knowledge of; to make (one) know; to make familiar.
To 'acquaint' someone with something means to make them familiar or knowledgeable about it. It implies a deliberate introduction to information or experience, often used in formal or instructional settings, unlike simply 'telling' them.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
Employee onboarding
“We will acquaint new staff with company policies during orientation.”
Travel guide
“This tour will acquaint you with the city's rich history.”
Formal introduction
“Allow me to acquaint you with the latest project details.”
Nearby words
- familiarise , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use acquaint
- “Permit me to acquaint you with my son.”verb
- “You should acquaint yourself with your new computer.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Personal knowledge or information about someone or something.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “acquaint” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.