Step 1: Understand the difference between strong and weak acids. Strong acids completely dissociate in water, releasing all their protons (H\+), while weak acids only partially dissociate, establishing an equilibrium between the acid and its ions.
Step 2: Identify the acids given: HBr (hydrobromic acid), HCl (hydrochloric acid), CH3COOH (acetic acid), and HNO3 (nitric acid).
Step 3: Recall that HBr, HCl, and HNO3 are known as strong acids because they fully ionize in aqueous solution.
Step 4: Recognize that CH3COOH (acetic acid) is a weak acid because it only partially ionizes in water, meaning it does not release all its protons and exists in equilibrium with its ions.
Step 5: Conclude that among the given options, CH3COOH is the weak acid in water, while the others are strong acids.