She 'is' widely/generally 'acknowledged' as one of the world's best chefs. [=many people regard her as one of the world's best chefs]
He refuses to 'acknowledge' the authority of the court. [=he denies that the court has authority]
The players 'acknowledged' their fans by waving their hands and blowing kisses into the crowd.
(..) No, no, no. Sweetie. You're not allowed to smell teenagers. Sweetie, you need to hear me on this. Here's the thing. The other thing, you need to acknowledge... ...that he looks exactly like Mike used to look in high school. We discussed that. I have looked at him. But, honey, this is the thing: (..)2009 17 Again