What does acquaint mean?
Acquaint is a formal English verb meaning to make someone familiar with a person, subject, or set of facts. It follows a strict grammatical pattern: one acquaints a person with something, as in 'the guide acquainted us with the history of the cathedral.' Because of this fixed structure, the verb rarely stands alone and most often appears in its reflexive form, 'acquaint yourself with,' especially in instructions and official documents. In everyday conversation it has largely given way to simpler alternatives such as 'familiarize,' 'brief,' or 'fill in,' so encountering it often signals a formal, professional, or slightly old-fashioned tone. Its most enduring legacy may be the noun 'acquaintance,' which retains everyday use for a person one knows slightly. Derived from Old French and ultimately Latin, the word carries centuries of history beneath its unassuming surface, making it a quietly elegant choice for writing that values precision and polish.
verbTo make someone familiar with something or someone, typically by providing information or experience. It is used almost exclusively in the construction 'acquaint someone with something'.
- To make a person familiar with a fact, subject, or situation by giving them information about it (always in the pattern 'acquaint someone with something').
"The orientation session will acquaint new employees with company policies."
"Please acquaint me with the details of the proposal before the meeting."
"Traveling through rural Japan acquainted her with customs she had only read about."
Despite sounding like a simple everyday word, 'acquaint' almost never appears on its own — it's grammatically chained to two partners: you acquaint *someone* *with* something.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of acquaint
Acquaint entered English in the late Middle Ages, borrowed from Old French 'acointier', which itself derived from Late Latin 'accognitare', built on Latin 'cognitus', the past participle of 'cognoscere' (to come to know). It thus shares deep roots with words like 'quaint' and 'cognizant', all tracing back to the same Latin verb of knowing. The related noun 'acquaintance' developed alongside it from the same French source.
Related word forms
How acquaint is actually used
Formal to neutral register; rare in casual speech, where 'familiarize' or plain phrasing ('let me fill you in') is more common. The verb requires both an object and the preposition 'with': 'acquaint someone with something' — it cannot stand alone. It appears most often in reflexive form ('acquaint yourself with').
Easily confused with acquaint
'Quaint' is an adjective meaning attractively old-fashioned or unusual, while 'acquaint' is a verb meaning to familiarize someone with something — they share a root but have entirely different meanings.