recipient
Americannoun
-
recipients
plural
adjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of recipient
First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin recipient-, stem of recipiēns “receiving,” present participle of recipere “to receive”; see receive
Explanation
A recipient is the person on the receiving end of something. Meryl Streep is the recipient of more Academy Award nominations than any other actor. Just as an actor can be the recipient of a prize for acting, a banker can be the recipient of a bonus for good banking. You'll notice the connection between recipient and receive. In order to be a recipient you have to receive something, whether it's a prize or just a letter in the mail. If it's true that it's better to give than to receive, does that mean it's better to be a giver than a recipient?
Vocabulary lists containing recipient
Academy Awards, List 1
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This Week In Words: March 29–April 4, 2020
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English Words Derived from French, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
It remained effective even when the immune characteristics of donor cells did not match those of the recipient.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
That will amount to an additional $75 a month for the average Social Security recipient.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Any dollar above that amount to a single recipient requires filing IRS Form 709 to report the excess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday announced that Pillay, who once sat on the ICC, was this year's recipient of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Unlike any other aid recipient in the world, North Korea’s government insisted on sole authority for transporting donated food.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
Among the one-star recipients is Arkhé in Norwood, which specialises in open-fire cooking, while Aptos in Adelaide serves a tasting menu focused on native Australian ingredients.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Since the pandemic, far fewer PIP recipients have been reassessed and deemed healthy again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
At the later follow-up, data were available for 40 participants, including all 23 CBL-514 recipients and 17 placebo recipients.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
While most of the nation’s 64 million Medicare recipients will have plenty of options, some changes underscore the importance of shopping during open enrollment.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
If I extended the radius another two dozen blocks or so, I’d take in numerous other Pulitzer recipients, as well as the chief justice of the U.S.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
