Synonyms

receive

American

[ri-seev] / rɪˈsiv /

verb (used with object)

to take into one's possession (something offered or delivered).

to receive many gifts.

Antonyms:

give
to have (something) bestowed, conferred, etc..

to receive an honorary degree.
to have delivered or brought to one.

to receive a letter.
to get or be informed of.

to receive instructions;
to receive news.
to be burdened with; sustain.

to receive a heavy load.
to hold, bear, or contain.

The nut receives a bolt and a washer.
The plaster receives the impression of the mold.
to take into the mind; apprehend mentally.

to receive an idea.
to accept from another by hearing or listening.

A priest received his confession.
to meet with; experience.

to receive attention.
to suffer the injury of.

He received a terrific blow on the forehead.
to be at home to (visitors).

They received their neighbors on Sunday.

Synonyms:

welcome, entertain, admit
to greet or welcome (guests, visitors, etc.) upon arriving.

They received us at the front door.
to admit (a person) to a place.

The butler received him and asked him to wait in the drawing room.
to admit into an organization, membership, etc..

to receive someone into the group.
to accept as authoritative, valid, true, or approved.

a principle universally received.
to react to in the manner specified.

to receive a proposal with contempt;
She received the job offer with joy.

verb (used without object)

to receive something.
to receive visitors or guests.
Radio. to convert incoming electromagnetic waves into the original signal.
to receive the Eucharist.

He receives every Sunday.

receive British

/ rɪˈsiːv /

verb

to take (something offered) into one's hand or possession
to have (an honour, blessing, etc) bestowed
to accept delivery or transmission of (a letter, telephone call, etc)
to be informed of (news or information)
to hear and consent to or acknowledge (an oath, confession, etc)
(of a vessel or container) to take or hold (a substance, commodity, or certain amount)
to support or sustain (the weight of something); bear
to apprehend or perceive (ideas, etc)
to experience, undergo, or meet with

to receive a crack on the skull
(also intr) to be at home to (visitors)
to greet or welcome (visitors or guests), esp in formal style
to admit (a person) to a place, society, condition, etc

he was received into the priesthood
to accept or acknowledge (a precept or principle) as true or valid
to convert (incoming radio signals) into sounds, pictures, etc, by means of a receiver
(also intr) tennis to play at the other end from the server; be required to return (service)
(also intr) to partake of (the Christian Eucharist)
(intr) to buy and sell stolen goods

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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”

Explanation

Receive means to get or accept. On your birthday you might receive many presents. If you have a huge formal party that night, you'll stand in a receiving line, where you'll greet or receive your guests. Unless you're receiving bad news or a stiff reprimand, receive can be pretty great. If one of your gifts is a trip to a spa, you might receive the news with pleasure, and then, when you go to the spa, receive several treatments. And remember, receive is one of those words that you have to say, "I before E, except after C, or when sounding like A, as in neighbor or weigh," before knowing how to spell it.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

receive receives received receiving

BBC Panorama meets parents who receive maintenance and those who pay it, and asks whether the system is failing both them and their children.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The researchers believe the results of the three studies could eventually lead to changes in heart failure guidelines, potentially allowing many more patients to receive digoxin.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Businesses will be able to receive up to AUS$25,000 in support to help them adjust to the reforms, with help also offered to gun-dealers.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

GM, in a statement, said vehicles made with North American labor and parts should receive preferential tariff treatment, and that it’s encouraged by progress made on trade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The blocks of five letters, we figure, make the text easier for telegraph operators to send and receive.

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

The secretary also oversees an office that receives a significant amount of inquiries and requests on a daily basis.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

The original Colossus campus now receives grid power, estimated around 300 megawatts, and has almost 200 megawatts of turbines on site, according to satellite photos from May analyzed by Cleanview.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Standard procedure mandates that anyone suspected of smoke inhalation receives a bronchoscopic examination of their airways.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Rather than trying to control which molecule receives an electron through conventional chemical preferences, the researchers developed a catalyst that releases the electron directly into the surrounding solution.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

I said, “Papa, please go. We’ll have a lot of fun and besides the winner receives a big golden cup.”

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

Colombia has received millions of dollars in aid from countries like the United States and organizations like the World Bank, but rebuilding will take time.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

But the city’s concentrated investment strategy means that some neighborhoods most in need of attention have received very little.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Bradnam said he had not received any "formal response" to his complaints, nor any "confirmation that my recommendations have been implemented or that the assurance gaps they identified have been addressed".

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Half received a low dose of digoxin in addition to their usual treatment for an average of three years, while the other half received a placebo.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Don Quixote wanted to know who that stranger, so well received, was.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

It also charges the receiving parent 4% of the money they are entitled to.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Last year, New York real-estate investors were alleged to have committed fraud in receiving loans to acquire hundreds of Baltimore vacant properties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The number of cases increased substantially after 2019, which was the first year the laboratory began receiving samples for nitrite/nitrate assessment.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

He has been receiving private instruction to understand his role of blocking specific defenders and adjusting when linebackers blitz.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Even so, just weeks after receiving its first $25 billion taxpayer investment, Citigroup returned to the Treasury to confess that—lo!—the markets still didn’t trust Citigroup to survive.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023