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

"Offensively, his teams are very dynamic, willing to make all the runs to the space, he is ready to accept this kind of disorder offensively."

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

It previously applied for a U.S. license to be able to accept deposits and offer loans in 2023, but backed out the following year due to regulatory concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

He said he would accept a motel room if offered one.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

"But as long as the products are good, one day people will accept and enjoy them."

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Ray nods and Boo steps forward to accept Abuelita’s hug.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

"He is unable to recall any event that would have caused such injuries but accepts that some such event must have occurred," the barrister continued.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Her Butterfly is no pathetic victim—having chosen Pinkerton, America and modernity, she finally accepts that they will destroy her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

He offers Gruel a lazy thumbs-up, accepts the chef’s joke about cooking for a dignitary and immediately turns to the camera to recite the show’s mission statement.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

December 22: China accepts its first new Boeing jet since 2019, a 787 Dreamliner.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

But, like I said before, Muhammad is not too intuitive, so he accepts my excuse that I’m practicing for some school play and not experiencing serious pangs of love.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

There is no certificate that is accepted everywhere.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Couples who choose not to follow tradition won’t easily find a universally accepted alternative.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

But because she had accepted the bag, she had been unable to get a refund, despite showing Vinted that it had verified it as genuine.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Donations to La Cruz Roja Colombiana are being accepted here.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Marco’s head dropped as he accepted defeat and the guards moved to arrest him and Cook.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

Impact investors treated them as worthy causes that required accepting lower returns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Out of an abundance of caution, the company announced the recall, ceased accepting produce from the farm and said it will be filling orders from alternative suppliers, according to the FDA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

"Determined to reach the United Kingdom, migrants crossing the Channel in small boats refused assistance offered by French emergency service, accepting it only in situations of extreme emergency," it said in a statement.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s financial statements show he has reported accepting honors gala tickets from CBS or its parent company eight times since his 2017 appointment to the commission, totaling over $75,000 in gifts.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

Roz felt funny accepting help from a robot, but Brightbill happily soaked up the attention.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Related Words

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