receipt

American  

[ri-seet] / rɪˈsit /

noun

• receipts
  plural

1. a written acknowledgment of having received, or taken into one's possession, a specified amount of money, goods, etc.

2. receipts, the amount or quantity received.

   Economic austerity diminished the government’s tax receipts.

3. the act of receiving or the state of being received.

   We are in receipt of your letter requesting a copy of the report.

4. something that is received.

5. Slang. receipts, evidence or proof.

   There's no way he's a crook—show me the receipts!

6. Archaic. recipe.

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verb (used with object)

1. to acknowledge in writing the payment of (a bill).

   The check was dated January 9, and the invoice was receipted on January 15.

2. to give a receipt for (money, goods, etc.).

verb (used without object)

1. to give a receipt, as for money or goods.

receipt British  

/ rɪˈsiːt /

noun

1. a written acknowledgment by a receiver of money, goods, etc, that payment or delivery has been made

2. the act of receiving or fact of being received

3. (usually plural) an amount or article received

4. archaic another word for recipe

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verb

1. (tr) to acknowledge payment of (a bill), as by marking it

2. to issue a receipt for (money, goods, etc)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreceipt
  noun
• prereceipt
  verb (used with object)
• unreceipted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• receipts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of receipt

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English receite, receyt, from Anglo-French, from Old French recete, reçoite, recoite or directly from Medieval Latin recepta “money received, receipt, recipe,” feminine past participle of recipere “to receive,” from Latin; see origin at receive

Explanation

You know that slim, white piece of paper the grocery store clerk gives you that lists everything you bought, how much you paid, and the change you received? That's a receipt. A receipt is proof you bought and paid for something. At most stores, you need it if you're going to return what you bought. People collect receipts on business trips, so their employers will pay them back for what they purchased while away. Less commonly, receipt can be used as a verb, as in, "The clerk receipted my purchases," meaning that the clerk gave written proof that the items were paid for.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

receipt receipts

Suggested actions will pop up automatically for certain items: Snap a snack or dish to see its nutritional value; snap a receipt to calculate how to split the bill.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

The criterion, external allows the children of parents in receipt of benefits - specifically Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit - to get priority for a pre-school place.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

While Congress can condition a state’s receipt of federal funds on compliance with specified conditions, there are limitations to this power.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

It takes something diffuse — access to a vast collection of things you do not personally have to own — and renders it in the language of a grocery receipt.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

She gropes in her purse for a pen and scribbles a few things down on the back of a receipt.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

Deficits typically swell in recessions because spending rises as receipts tumble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

If you pay expenses yourself, keep the receipts in the likely event that you are entitled to reimbursement from the estate.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026

And while higher inflation means higher interest costs, it also means higher cash tax receipts, at a time when thresholds continue to be frozen.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Molina’s responsibilities in the nonprofit included co-signing checks, keeping records of receipts and expenditures, making disbursements approved by the board, receiving dues and providing financial statements to the board, according to the indictment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Lacey prepares a grocery list for each of us, written in small letters on the backs of receipts she found in her purse.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Related Words

• certificate
• voucher