acceptor

American  

[ak-sep-ter] / ækˈsɛp tər /

noun

1. accepter.

2. Finance. a person who accepts a draft or bill of exchange, especially the drawee who signs the draft or bill, confirming a willingness to pay it when due.

3. Also called acceptor atom,.  Also called acceptor impurity.  Physics. an atom of impurity in a semiconducting crystal such that the atom can capture an electron, creating a hole in a filled electron shell and thereby changing the electric conductivity of the crystal.

4. Chemistry. an atom, ion, group of atoms, or compound that combines with, or accepts, another entity, thereby profoundly affecting physical and chemical properties.

   electron acceptor;

   water acceptor.

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acceptor British  

/ əkˈsɛptə /

noun

1. commerce the person or organization on which a draft or bill of exchange is drawn after liability has been accepted, usually by signature

2. Also called: acceptor impurity.  electronics an impurity, such as gallium, added to a semiconductor material to increase its p-type conductivity by increasing the number of holes in the semiconductor Compare donor

3. electronics a circuit tuned to accept a particular frequency

4. chem the atom or group that accepts electrons in a coordinate bond

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acceptor Scientific  

/ ăk-sĕp′tər /

1. The reactant in an induced chemical reaction that has an increased rate of reaction in the presence of the inductor.

2. An atom or molecule that receives one or more electrons from another atom or molecule, resulting in a chemical bond or flow of electric current.

3. Compare donor See also electron carrier

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Etymology

Origin of acceptor

1350–1400; Middle English, in phrase acceptour of persones; accept + -or ², or (< Anglo-French acceptour ) < Latin acceptor, equivalent to accep-, variant stem of accipere to receive, get ( accept ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

"We therefore needed an energy acceptor that selectively captures the multiplied triplet excitons after fission."

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2026

Prosecutors meanwhile requested a six to seven-month sentence, saying Iswaran was "more than a passive acceptor of gifts".

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2024

This phenomenon arises from the creation of an acceptor level capable of accommodating electrons in the absence of sufficient oxygen, thereby enabling the material to function as a p-type semiconductor.

From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2024

"Continued study of respiratory electron acceptor usage may thus provide an important avenue for informing our understanding of the functional capacity and metabolic output of the gut microbiome."

From Salon • Jan. 5, 2024

An accommodation party is one who has signed the note as maker, drawee, acceptor or indorser without receiving value therefor, and for the purpose of lending his name to some other person.

From Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman by Bolles, Albert Sidney

Related Words

• adherent
• devotee
• disciple
• follower
• supporter
• zealot