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

Some veterans, in particular, insisted that service members knew what they’d signed up for and suggested Kelley ought to accept the conditions his son might face.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

When those feelings go unaddressed for long enough, Hamm said, people will come to accept a certain amount of lawlessness from the figures they feel can solve their problems.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

His son Aron Davies said the family had "suffered an unimaginable loss", describing his father as "driven, determined and someone who simply didn't accept that a problem was too big to solve".

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

She likes my lasagna but wouldn’t accept it there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Her words telling me to accept my grief rather than deny it.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Unlike traditional commodities exchanges, Polymarket accepts funds directly from retail traders, making it more vulnerable to fraud attacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Once a winner accepts their prize on TV, they are taken across the street to get their awards engraved, take photos and chat with reporters.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Koja, 42, accepts a central government plan to keep the US Marine Corps' Futenma air base on Okinawa's main island, but move it to a less populated location.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Lee accepts that his bullishness right now is contrarian, particularly as many investors remain cautious about the usually weak September market.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Her big ears flap back and forth as she accepts candy and popcorn and even chewing gum from delighted circus-goers.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

The suggested change wasn’t accepted, the researchers said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Carol Normandin told The Times that the legal victory felt “hollow” as Uber had not accepted responsibility in her daughter’s death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Speaking after meetings in London, he said British ministers accepted the need to make yearly steps towards hitting the target.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Rowe, who buried her mother on Wednesday, accepted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The day after Greeley’s article appeared, Maggie, Kate, Leah, Mother, and a few male supporters accepted an invitation to the townhome of Rev. Dr. Rufus Griswold.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

While immigration has risen in previous years, foreigners only make up around 3% of the population and opposition to accepting more has grown.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Knowing this, accepting it, incorporating it into your plans, will give you a tremendous advantage in all negotiations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

The US leader has similarly dismissed criticism for accepting a new Air Force One plane gifted by Qatar -- aboard which he arrived in Ireland.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

I paid her $60, but now I’m nervous about accepting another invitation from her.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Felix and Benji had made a mistake in accepting it.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

Related Words

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