acceptor
Americannoun
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Finance. a person who accepts a draft or bill of exchange, especially the drawee who signs the draft or bill, confirming a willingness to pay it when due.
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Also called acceptor atom,. Also called acceptor impurity. Physics. an atom of impurity in a semiconducting crystal such that the atom can capture an electron, creating a hole in a filled electron shell and thereby changing the electric conductivity of the crystal.
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Chemistry. an atom, ion, group of atoms, or compound that combines with, or accepts, another entity, thereby profoundly affecting physical and chemical properties.
electron acceptor;
water acceptor.
noun
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commerce the person or organization on which a draft or bill of exchange is drawn after liability has been accepted, usually by signature
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Also called: acceptor impurity. electronics an impurity, such as gallium, added to a semiconductor material to increase its p-type conductivity by increasing the number of holes in the semiconductor Compare donor
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electronics a circuit tuned to accept a particular frequency
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chem the atom or group that accepts electrons in a coordinate bond
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The reactant in an induced chemical reaction that has an increased rate of reaction in the presence of the inductor.
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An atom or molecule that receives one or more electrons from another atom or molecule, resulting in a chemical bond or flow of electric current.
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Compare donor See also electron carrier
Etymology
Origin of acceptor
1350–1400; Middle English, in phrase acceptour of persones; accept + -or 2, or (< Anglo-French acceptour ) < Latin acceptor, equivalent to accep-, variant stem of accipere to receive, get ( accept ) + -tor -tor
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.
Once the electron reaches the acceptor molecule, it sets off a new coherent vibration.
From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2026
Prosecutors meanwhile requested a six to seven-month sentence, saying Iswaran was "more than a passive acceptor of gifts".
From BBC • Oct. 2, 2024
"It was quite surprising to find that a modern electron acceptor like F5H had partnered with an ancient protein to develop new biochemical machinery that synthesizes the advanced lignin structure."
From Science Daily • May 17, 2024
"Continued study of respiratory electron acceptor usage may thus provide an important avenue for informing our understanding of the functional capacity and metabolic output of the gut microbiome."
From Salon • Jan. 5, 2024
It is this that lends them their self-liquidating quality; for they are usually liquidated by the acceptor out of the proceeds of the resale of the goods during the currency of the bill.
From Readings in Money and Banking Selected and Adapted by Phillips, Chester Arthur
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
