receiver

American  

[ri-see-ver] / rɪˈsi vər /

noun

• receivers
  plural

1. a person or thing that receives.

2. a device or apparatus that receives electrical signals, waves, or the like, and renders them perceptible to the senses, as the part of a telephone held to the ear, a radio receiving set, or a television receiving set.

3. Law. a person appointed by a court to manage the affairs of a bankrupt business or person or to care for property in litigation.

4. Commerce. a person appointed to receive money due.

5. a person who knowingly receives stolen goods for an illegal purpose; a dealer in stolen merchandise.

6. a device or apparatus for receiving or holding something; receptacle; container.

7. (in a firearm) the basic metal unit housing the action and to which the barrel and other components are attached.

8. Chemistry. a vessel for collecting and containing a distillate.

9. Football. a player on the offensive team who catches, is eligible to catch, or is noted for the ability to catch a forward pass.

   Jones was the receiver of the first pass thrown. He sent all his receivers downfield.

10. Baseball. the catcher.

---

receiver British  

/ rɪˈsiːvə /

noun

1. a person who receives something; recipient

2. a person appointed by a court to manage property pending the outcome of litigation, during the infancy of the owner, or after the owner(s) has been declared bankrupt or of unsound mind

3. a person who receives stolen goods knowing that they have been stolen

4. the equipment in a telephone, radio, or television that receives incoming electrical signals or modulated radio waves and converts them into the original audio or video signals

5. the part of a telephone containing the earpiece and mouthpiece that is held by the telephone user

6. the equipment in a radar system, radio telescope, etc, that converts incoming radio signals into a useful form, usually displayed on the screen of a cathode-ray oscilloscope

7. an obsolete word for receptacle

8. chem a vessel in which the distillate is collected during distillation

9. sport a player whose function is to receive the ball, esp a footballer who catches long passes

10. the metallic frame situated behind the breech of a gun to guide the round into the chamber

---

receiver Scientific  

/ rĭ-sē′vər /

1. A device, as in a radio or telephone, that converts incoming radio, microwave, or electrical signals to a form, such as sound or light, that can be perceived by humans.

2. Compare transmitter

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prereceiver
  noun
• underreceiver
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• receivers
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of receiver

1300–50; 1875–80 receiver for def. 2; receive + -er ¹; replacing Middle English recevour < Anglo-French receivour, recevour (< Old French recevere )

---

Explanation

What do football, radio, and email have in common? They all involve a receiver! A receiver is a position in American football, a part of a radio that translates the signal, or the person who gets the email you sent. If you collect or accept something, you're a receiver. When an object is a receiver, it's either the part of a telephone that you listen to or the component of a stereo system, radio, or television that receives audio or video signals. Another kind of receiver is the North American football player who takes a position toward the edge of the field and who specializes in passing and catching the ball.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

receiver receivers

Stroud and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. walked side-by-side to practice this week, just like they had so many times over the years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

With a struggling receiver group hurt by the absence of No. 1 option D.J.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

"It was through interrogation work that investigators were able to get the receiver of the stolen goods to admit that he had indeed taken possession of the paintings."

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Brock Purdy eventually got San Francisco over the line thanks to new wide receiver Mike Evans, who had 113 yards receiving and a touchdown, taking some great catches late on.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

When she lost the first coin she banged on the machine with her fists and kept opening the receiver to be sure that nothing had come down.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Four rookies started on the offensive line in Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos and wide receivers Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Brenen Thompson, didn’t play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Widely available consumer-grade 3D printers capable of printing firearm parts, frames, receivers, and accessories now start at about $200 and are compact enough to fit on a small table,” the complaint alleged.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

The job of the orbiting receivers now was to determine in a split second which of Aurich’s variations would work in that particular scenario.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Cincinnati Bengals receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were both fined for making a gesture the league deemed to be obscene.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

They hung up imaginary receivers and leaned against the wall and laughed.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---