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.

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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

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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

“But they’re telling the same story. And the story is: ‘You don’t have to accept the body and the limits you’re given.

From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026

EBay and Nike, for example, accept Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal, but neither company appears in Paze’s merchant directory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“These days I move more slowly, I lean on others more than I once did, and I have learned to accept that every day will look a little different,” she concluded.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

He became an English amateur champion and represented England six times, but was unable to pursue Olympic qualification or accept professional contracts because he did not have permission to work or travel.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

“You’re trying to protect me. I do appreciate that, Jakob. I will accept whatever the outcome is once we know the truth. Tell me about the code.”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Bespoke accepts that its baskets don’t include a large number of companies that are involved with robotics on Chinese, South Korean, or Japanese exchanges.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

One mind-bending startup accepts about 100 times fewer applicants than Harvard University.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

While England would like McCullum's replacement in position for the three-Test series against Pakistan, Gould accepts an interim solution may happen.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

"There's no guidance on what to do when a name isn't on the list. No one accepts our application," she said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

I offer to help my mother make breakfast, and she eagerly accepts.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

However, while he accepted he was not licensed for funeral plans, he made arrangements so people's funeral needs were met.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Overall, the nine-undergraduate campus system accepted 78% of the Californians who applied as first-year students.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Those are part of operating income under generally accepted accounting principles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

You can generally do that after the fact, as long as you have not already begun carrying out executor duties or accepted the role of executor from the probate court.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Gingersnipes seemed so sure in this decision that Clare nearly accepted it.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

They caution against accepting narratives that ascribe human traits to nonhuman things and suggest this incident was merely a case of poor security practices.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

It’s a play on the word emolument, a gift from a foreign leader or domestic government that a president is prohibited under the Constitution from accepting.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

The effort calls for a blank slate by accepting new designs for seekers, rocket motors and other major components assembled into a missile that could still be fired from existing Patriot launchers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Now, he has to contend with replacing the memories of the other Asa with the reality of this badass sibling and accepting that he still may never see his parents ever again.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

With Mia she’d been different, in a way she hadn’t known she could be: in Mia’s accepting presence she’d become curious and kind and open, as if under a magic spell.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Related Words

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