1) 可以指人，意思是“熟人”、“有交情的人”。

• We're old acquaintances.咱们彼此是老熟人了。
• He has a wide circle of acquaintances.他的交游很广。
• They were nothing more than casual acquaintances.他们只是萍水相逢而已。

2) “熟人关系”、“交情”。

• There's a doctor of my acquaintance in the hospital.医院里有我认识的一位大夫。
• to strike up an acquaintance结交一个熟人
• his acquaintance with the minister他同部长的交情
• to have a nodding/passing acquaintance with somebody/something同某人有点头之交／对某事物略知一二
• I'm pleased/delighted to make your acquaintance.很高兴同您结识（也可以采取接近中文的结构，说 make acquaintance with you）。

除了 make 之外，acquaintance 前面还可以有其他动词。

• By a lucky chance it excited attention, and various persons sought my acquaintance. (Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, Chapter III)由于偶然的因缘这本书引起了人们的注意，不少人想要同我结识。

3) 对人或物的了解。

• On first acquaintance, the city seems quite old.初来乍到时一看，这城市似乎相当古老。
• On closer acquaintance, I found her quite easy to get along with.经过进一步熟悉，我就发现她很好相处。