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

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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. )

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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

Tshisekedi declared at a rare news conference in early May that he had not planned to seek a third term but said: "If people want me to have a third term, I will accept."

From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026

But the company will almost certainly need to accept a much lower valuation than the roughly $2 trillion figure that had been floated months ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

While she said 10% of the health budget was the minimum they could accept - 15% was a longer term ambition.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

“I take full responsibility for what I did and the hurt I caused, and I accept the criticism that comes with it,” he said in note to staff that was shared with MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 8, 2026

“I do know, Colin. Lizzie’s the one who won’t accept the facts.”

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

According to its website, it only accepts money from Americans and its board is composed exclusively of Americans.

From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026

For everyone who accepts the gospel, there is an ultimate destiny.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

Bullock cheekily reminded Abdy that, when she accepts her award, “remember that when they gave it to you, you were initially employed at the place where you are no longer employed.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Democracy rests on a simple bargain: The loser accepts the result because both sides trust the count.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

He just accepts Trey like he’s always been training with us.

From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Of the players in the Australia XI on that Saturday at Newlands, three were punished; now Khawaja has accepted his share of responsibility, making four.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

When they combined those measurements with earlier data gathered between 2011 and 2018, the statistical significance increased to 3.2 standard deviations, exceeding the widely accepted threshold for evidence.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2026

Instead, “we accepted a tour and just rolled.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

He takes credit for arguing that Smith wasn’t lawfully appointed, a position accepted by U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026

A committee of Spiritualists negotiated and accepted all the conditions.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Speaking Saturday, Pahlavi said he was accepting the prize only as a "trustee" until a democratically elected government was in power in Iran.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026

The agency is accepting responses until 3 p.m.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

But in August, the court allowed the relocation, accepting the government's security concerns and noting that alternative housing had been provided.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

In 2014, when he got laid off, Sonia-Wallace experimented with making a living from poetry by writing at farmers markets, festivals and the Venice Beach boardwalk — and accepting tips.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

When I got up in the afternoon there were some forms to sign about accepting my admission to Executive Pre-Professional and a physical to schedule—how glorious.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

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Related Words

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

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