accept

[ ak-sept ]

/ ækˈsɛpt /

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See synonyms for: accept / accepted / accepting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to take or receive (something offered); receive with approval or favor: to accept a present; to accept a proposal.

to agree or consent to; accede to: to accept a treaty; to accept an apology.

to respond or answer affirmatively to: to accept an invitation.

to undertake the responsibility, duties, honors, etc., of: to accept the office of president.

to receive or admit formally, as to a college or club.

to accommodate or reconcile oneself to: to accept the situation.

to regard as true or sound; believe: to accept a claim; to accept Catholicism.

to regard as normal, suitable, or usual.

to receive as to meaning; understand.

Commerce. to acknowledge, by signature, as calling for payment, and thus to agree to pay, as a draft.

(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.

to receive or contain (something attached, inserted, etc.): This socket won't accept a three-pronged plug.

to receive (a transplanted organ or tissue) without adverse reaction.Compare reject (def. 7).

verb (used without object)

to accept an invitation, gift, position, etc. (sometimes followed by of).

OTHER WORDS FOR accept

2 concede.

7 acknowledge.

See synonyms for accept on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR accept

1 reject.

See antonyms for accept on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of accept

1350–1400; Middle English accepten<Middle French accepter<Latin acceptare, equivalent to ac-ac- + -cep- take, combining form of cap- + -t- frequentative suffix

words often confused with accept

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 WORDS FROM accept

pre·ac·cept, verbre·ac·cept, verb (used with object)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH accept

accept , except (see usage note at the current entry)

Words nearby accept

accentual, accentuate, accentuated, accentuation, accentuator, accept, acceptable, acceptance, acceptance region, acceptancy, acceptant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

ACCEPT VS. EXCEPT

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.

Quiz yourself on accept vs. except!

Should accept or except be used in the following sentence?

The cake was great _____ for the icing, which was a little too sweet.

How to use accept in a sentence

First, they obviously make it easier to vote by mail — a more generous window for accepting ballots means fewer voters will be disenfranchised for mailing their ballots too late.
Why Four Pivotal Swing States Likely Won’t Be Called On Election Night|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 25, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Some news publishers, including Reuters and Bloomberg, have policies against accepting political advertising.
‘Total whack a mole’: Rogue political ads create mounting brand safety problems for publishers|Max Willens|September 25, 2020|Digiday
Xiaomi accepted the proposition and doled out an investment for the startup’s angel round in 2017.
The eSIM maker powering Xiaomi’s IoT devices raises $15M|Rita Liao|September 25, 2020|TechCrunch
His 2018 study, co-authored with entomologists at the Washington State University bee lab, had been accepted by the journal Nature Scientific Reports.
The Fungal Evangelist Who Would Save the Bees - Issue 90: Something Green|Merlin Sheldrake|September 23, 2020|Nautilus

Both decisions were early indications the nation was beginning to head into a different direction to accept.
‘Skim milk’ marriages not enough: Ginsburg remembered as LGBTQ ally|Chris Johnson|September 21, 2020|Washington Blade
In the meantime, he should just accept that the holdup has nothing to do with his politics.
Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame|Ben Jacobs|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Or as her mother tells her, sternly, “You got to accept that life is full of disappointments.”
This Week’s Hot Reads: December 22, 2014|Mythili Rao|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many Muslims may disagree with my view, or interpret Islam in a more moderate way, but I cannot accept this religion myself.
What It’s Like to Be an Atheist in Palestine|Waleed al-Husseini, Movements.Org|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the end of his prayer, the grand mufti whispered aloud: “May God accept it.”
Does Pope Francis Believe Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?|Jay Parini|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, does Francis, or any Christian, genuinely accept that God is God, whether his name be Allah or God?
Does Pope Francis Believe Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?|Jay Parini|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Act permits member banks to accept an amount of bills not exceeding 50 per cent.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
At the end of the first year, however, she resigned this privilege because she did not wish to accept the conditions of the gift.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
I desired the captain would please to accept this ring in return of his civilities, which he absolutely refused.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
This fact worried him considerably, and made him persist in his own mind that the company would accept it.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
As an M.P. you are duly qualified to accept any appointment under the Crown when the Government ask you.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various

British Dictionary definitions for accept

/ (əkˈsɛpt) /

verb (mainly tr)

to take or receive (something offered)

to give an affirmative reply toto accept an invitation

to take on the responsibilities, duties, etc, ofhe accepted office

to tolerate or accommodate oneself to

to consider as true or believe in (a philosophy, theory, etc)I cannot accept your argument

(may take a clause as object) to be willing to grant or believeyou must accept that he lied

to receive with approval or admit, as into a community, group, etc

commerce to agree to pay (a bill, draft, shipping document, etc), esp by signing

to receive as adequate, satisfactory, or valid

to receive, take, or hold (something applied, inserted, etc)

(intr sometimes foll by of) archaic to take or receive an offer, invitation, etc

Derived forms of accept

accepter, noun

Word Origin for accept

C14: from Latin acceptāre, from ad- to + capere to take

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