receive
Americanverb (used with object)
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to take into one's possession (something offered or delivered).
to receive many gifts.
- Antonyms:
- give
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to have (something) bestowed, conferred, etc..
to receive an honorary degree.
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to have delivered or brought to one.
to receive a letter.
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to get or be informed of.
to receive instructions;
to receive news.
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to be burdened with; sustain.
to receive a heavy load.
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to hold, bear, or contain.
The nut receives a bolt and a washer.
The plaster receives the impression of the mold.
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to take into the mind; apprehend mentally.
to receive an idea.
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to accept from another by hearing or listening.
A priest received his confession.
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to meet with; experience.
to receive attention.
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to suffer the injury of.
He received a terrific blow on the forehead.
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to be at home to (visitors).
They received their neighbors on Sunday.
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to greet or welcome (guests, visitors, etc.) upon arriving.
They received us at the front door.
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to admit (a person) to a place.
The butler received him and asked him to wait in the drawing room.
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to admit into an organization, membership, etc..
to receive someone into the group.
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to accept as authoritative, valid, true, or approved.
a principle universally received.
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to react to in the manner specified.
to receive a proposal with contempt;
She received the job offer with joy.
verb (used without object)
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to receive something.
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to receive visitors or guests.
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Radio. to convert incoming electromagnetic waves into the original signal.
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to receive the Eucharist.
He receives every Sunday.
verb
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to take (something offered) into one's hand or possession
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to have (an honour, blessing, etc) bestowed
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to accept delivery or transmission of (a letter, telephone call, etc)
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to be informed of (news or information)
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to hear and consent to or acknowledge (an oath, confession, etc)
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(of a vessel or container) to take or hold (a substance, commodity, or certain amount)
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to support or sustain (the weight of something); bear
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to apprehend or perceive (ideas, etc)
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to experience, undergo, or meet with
to receive a crack on the skull
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(also intr) to be at home to (visitors)
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to greet or welcome (visitors or guests), esp in formal style
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to admit (a person) to a place, society, condition, etc
he was received into the priesthood
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to accept or acknowledge (a precept or principle) as true or valid
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to convert (incoming radio signals) into sounds, pictures, etc, by means of a receiver
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(also intr) tennis to play at the other end from the server; be required to return (service)
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(also intr) to partake of (the Christian Eucharist)
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(intr) to buy and sell stolen goods
Usage
Spelling tips for receive The word receive is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it can be hard to remember if the [ s] sound is spelled with a c or an s. Second, the order of the middle vowels can be tricky. Is it ei or ie? How to spell receive: When you receive something you want to C (see) it. This reminds you that it is spelled with a c, not an s. To remember the order of the vowels, keep in mind the classic mnemonic device: I before E except after C. Since receive is spelled with a C, the E goes before the I.
Other Word Forms
- interreceive verb (used with object)
- nonreceiving adjective
- prereceive verb (used with object)
- unreceiving adjective
Etymology
Origin of receive
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English receven, from Old North French receivre, from Latin recipere, equivalent to re- re- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
