accept

American  

[ak-sept, ik-] / ækˈsɛpt, ɪk- /

verb (used with object)

• accepts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accepted,
  past participle,  past
• accepting
  present participle

1. 

   to take or receive (something offered); receive with approval or favor.

   to accept a present;

   to accept a proposal.

   Antonyms:

   reject

2. to agree or consent to; accede to.

   to accept a treaty;

   to accept an apology.

   Synonyms:

   concede

3. to respond or answer affirmatively to.

   to accept an invitation.

4. to undertake the responsibility, duties, honors, etc., of.

   to accept the office of president.

5. to receive or admit formally, as to a college or club.

6. to accommodate or reconcile oneself to.

   to accept the situation.

7. to regard as true or sound; believe.

   to accept a claim;

   to accept Catholicism.

   Synonyms:

   acknowledge

8. to regard as normal, suitable, or usual.

9. to receive as to meaning; understand.

10. Commerce. to acknowledge, by signature, as calling for payment, and thus to agree to pay, as a draft.

11. (in a deliberative body) to receive as an adequate performance of the duty with which an officer or a committee has been charged; receive for further action.

    The report of the committee was accepted.

12. to receive or contain (something attached, inserted, etc.).

    This socket won't accept a three-pronged plug.

13. to receive (a transplanted organ or tissue) without adverse reaction.

---

verb (used without object)

• accepts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accepted,
  past participle,  past
• accepting
  present participle

1. to accept an invitation, gift, position, etc. (sometimes followed byof ).

accept British  

/ əkˈsɛpt /

verb

1. to take or receive (something offered)

2. to give an affirmative reply to

   to accept an invitation

3. to take on the responsibilities, duties, etc, of

   he accepted office

4. to tolerate or accommodate oneself to

5. to consider as true or believe in (a philosophy, theory, etc)

   I cannot accept your argument

6. (may take a clause as object) to be willing to grant or believe

   you must accept that he lied

7. to receive with approval or admit, as into a community, group, etc

8. commerce to agree to pay (a bill, draft, shipping document, etc), esp by signing

9. to receive as adequate, satisfactory, or valid

10. to receive, take, or hold (something applied, inserted, etc)

11. archaic to take or receive an offer, invitation, etc

---

Usage

What’s the difference between accept and except? Accept is a common word with many meanings, most of which involve receiving something, taking something on, or putting up with something. Except is most commonly used as a preposition meaning excluding or but, as in Everyone was invited except me, or as a conjunction meaning but for the fact that, as in I would have called, except I lost my phone. Except can also be used as a verb meaning to exclude, as in the common phrase present company excepted, but its verb use is much less common. In contrast, accept is always a verb. To remember the difference in the spelling between accept and except, remember that except shares the prefix ex- with exclude, which is fitting since except is commonly used in situations in which someone or something has been excluded. Accept, on the other hand, is often used in situations in which something is acquired. Here’s an example of accept and except used correctly in the same sentence. Example: I usually accept your excuses, except this time I know they’re not true. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between accept and except.

Commonly Confused

The verbs accept and except are sometimes confused because of their similar pronunciations, especially in rapid speech. Accept means “to take or receive” ( I accept this trophy ), while except means “to exclude” ( Certain types of damage are excepted from coverage in this insurance policy ).

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• accepter
  noun
• preaccept
  verb
• reaccept
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Participles

• accepting
  present
• accepted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• accept
  simple
• accepts
  simple
• have accepted
  perfect
• has accepted
  perfect
• am accepting
  progressive
• are accepting
  progressive
• is accepting
  progressive
• have been accepting
  perfect progressive
• has been accepting
  perfect progressive

Past

• accepted
  simple
• had accepted
  perfect
• was accepting
  progressive
• were accepting
  progressive
• had been accepting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will accept
  simple
• will have accepted
  perfect
• will be accepting
  progressive
• will have been accepting
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of accept

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English accepten, from Middle French accepter, from Latin acceptāre “to take, receive regularly,” frequentative of accipere “to take, receive,” equivalent to ac- ac- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”; cf. captive ( def. )

---

Explanation

Please accept ("favorably receive") our apologies, but you're just going to have to accept ("put up with") the fact that this verb has almost a dozen different meanings. You might accept ("take") bribes from people who dislike multiple meanings, or they might challenge you to a duel, which you might accept ("consent to"). When historians record your story, you might accept ("officially receive") their books and accept ("hold as true") the most flattering one. When you apply to cool-people clubs, they'll accept ("admit") you, and when you go broke, they'll accept ("take on") your debt, until the day your coffin accepts ("takes") your weary accepting bones.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accept accepts accepted accepting

"I accept that PC Parsons felt isolated and disconnected from policing and her team working part time, returning from maternity leave, and working from home as she described," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

"It's hard to accept that a neighbor could do something like that."

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

They also hope to persuade Algiers to accept Moroccan rule over Western Sahara.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

“The men learn to work together and accept a responsibility toward the show they are doing and toward one another.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

“It’s time to accept that we’re responsible for the rise in the earth’s temperature,” Akira said, feeling the confidence of her own words.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

The second act reaches a dramatic peak as Lincoln, after much soul-searching, plaintively accepts the inevitable, seated next to his son Willie, who appears as a ghost the father cannot see.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

Nvidia’s revenue could still grow in an expanding market while it captures a smaller share of a customer’s budget or accepts lower margins to secure business.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Nikon's annual Small World In Motion contest accepts photos and video taken using powerful microscopes, and has run annually for the last 15 years.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

“He understands his mistake, accepts the consequences of his actions and will learn from this. The entire Trojan Family wishes Dante a full recovery, and we send our best regards to him and his family.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Right now, I have my comfort zone, I have a place where everyone accepts me and I accept everyone, and I can’t be without this for the next two years.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

The findings have been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and are scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Suddenly, she was free to come and go as she pleased, so when her postgraduate program in Versailles accepted her application, we went.

From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026

“It was a challenge getting CG to be accepted by directors and producers,” Cancado said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

The legal documents have emerged after a High Court hearing earlier this month in which Thames Valley Police accepted the warrants it used to search Mountbatten-Windsor's homes were unlawful.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

When his mother asked Gerda to meet her for lunch, Gerda accepted the invitation.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

It said staff were evacuated and no one was injured, and that it was not accepting shipments from sellers at the location "as it is currently serving other operational purposes".

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

Around the same time, the ticket machines were proving similarly unreliable about accepting credit cards.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

"We cannot keep accepting this as a fact of life."

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

While accepting the honor, the comedian thanked his daughter, Jane, and grandson, Jackson, before referring to Ah as his “sublime companion” and declaring his love for her.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Her mom was cranky at breakfast and gave Hazel a talking-to about snow shoveling and maturity and accepting responsibility.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• acknowledge
• admit
• adopt
• affirm
• approve
• assume
• buy
• comply
• recognize
• sign
• undertake

---