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

But Reynolds was hesitant to accept the role without seeing any scripts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

United have been linked with a move for Newcastle's Lewis Hall, but accept it would be difficult to sign him, particularly after the departures of Sandro Tonali and Guimaraes from the club.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Washington has said it won’t accept Iranian restrictions or tolling, U.S. officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● 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

One of the trembling elders says, “I will accept baptism. I do not want to be a burden to my family any longer.”

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

The executor typically accepts or declines the appointment after the “testator” dies and the probate court opens administration of the estate.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 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

While he says some of the stories were new to him, he accepts that he may not remember certain incidents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

He knows and accepts the shameful probing curiosities of human beings.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

There is no certificate that is accepted everywhere.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

A paper by Elias Einiö, Josh Feng and Xavier Jaravel, accepted for publication in the American Economic Review, offers a clue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Defence lawyer Mohamed Sakr said in court that the order prohibiting Ahmed from assaulting, threatening, stalking or intimidating his father had been accepted without admissions, according to national broadcaster ABC.

From BBC ● 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

I shivered, remembering the first time I had traded with the miller, how my tongue had swelled in my mouth and I mechanically accepted his bargain.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

The YouTuber with more than 150,000 followers has built a brand around paying full price for hotel rooms to guarantee honest reviews, standing out amid influencers accepting free trips in exchange for positive content.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

In a statement, Lithuania's Ministry of Justice said: "There have been no discussions or consultations regarding the possibility of accepting the transfer of all Lithuanian citizens imprisoned in the United Kingdom".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

It’s testament to this idea about opening up your creative world; about trying something and taking a risk and not being scared to make an opportunity work, about accepting ideas for what they are.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Four ethics experts told ProPublica that by accepting the tickets, Trusty and Carr had compromised the FCC’s impartiality and should not take part in any upcoming decision on Paramount’s proposed merger.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

She clearly wants to try to determine her own identity in an agentic manner versus accepting one that’s forced upon her by a patriarchal society.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

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