Synonyms

receive

American

[ri-seev] / rɪˈsiv /

verb (used with object)

to take into one's possession (something offered or delivered).

to receive many gifts.

Antonyms:

give
to have (something) bestowed, conferred, etc..

to receive an honorary degree.
to have delivered or brought to one.

to receive a letter.
to get or be informed of.

to receive instructions;
to receive news.
to be burdened with; sustain.

to receive a heavy load.
to hold, bear, or contain.

The nut receives a bolt and a washer.
The plaster receives the impression of the mold.
to take into the mind; apprehend mentally.

to receive an idea.
to accept from another by hearing or listening.

A priest received his confession.
to meet with; experience.

to receive attention.
to suffer the injury of.

He received a terrific blow on the forehead.
to be at home to (visitors).

They received their neighbors on Sunday.

Synonyms:

welcome, entertain, admit
to greet or welcome (guests, visitors, etc.) upon arriving.

They received us at the front door.
to admit (a person) to a place.

The butler received him and asked him to wait in the drawing room.
to admit into an organization, membership, etc..

to receive someone into the group.
to accept as authoritative, valid, true, or approved.

a principle universally received.
to react to in the manner specified.

to receive a proposal with contempt;
She received the job offer with joy.

verb (used without object)

to receive something.
to receive visitors or guests.
Radio. to convert incoming electromagnetic waves into the original signal.
to receive the Eucharist.

He receives every Sunday.

receive British

/ rɪˈsiːv /

verb

to take (something offered) into one's hand or possession
to have (an honour, blessing, etc) bestowed
to accept delivery or transmission of (a letter, telephone call, etc)
to be informed of (news or information)
to hear and consent to or acknowledge (an oath, confession, etc)
(of a vessel or container) to take or hold (a substance, commodity, or certain amount)
to support or sustain (the weight of something); bear
to apprehend or perceive (ideas, etc)
to experience, undergo, or meet with

to receive a crack on the skull
(also intr) to be at home to (visitors)
to greet or welcome (visitors or guests), esp in formal style
to admit (a person) to a place, society, condition, etc

he was received into the priesthood
to accept or acknowledge (a precept or principle) as true or valid
to convert (incoming radio signals) into sounds, pictures, etc, by means of a receiver
(also intr) tennis to play at the other end from the server; be required to return (service)
(also intr) to partake of (the Christian Eucharist)
(intr) to buy and sell stolen goods

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

Spelling tips for receive The word receive is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it can be hard to remember if the [ s] sound is spelled with a c or an s. Second, the order of the middle vowels can be tricky. Is it ei or ie? How to spell receive: When you receive something you want to C (see) it. This reminds you that it is spelled with a c, not an s. To remember the order of the vowels, keep in mind the classic mnemonic device: I before E except after C. Since receive is spelled with a C, the E goes before the I.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of receive

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English receven, from Old North French receivre, from Latin recipere, equivalent to re- re- + -cipere, combining form of capere “to take”

Explanation

Receive means to get or accept. On your birthday you might receive many presents. If you have a huge formal party that night, you'll stand in a receiving line, where you'll greet or receive your guests. Unless you're receiving bad news or a stiff reprimand, receive can be pretty great. If one of your gifts is a trip to a spa, you might receive the news with pleasure, and then, when you go to the spa, receive several treatments. And remember, receive is one of those words that you have to say, "I before E, except after C, or when sounding like A, as in neighbor or weigh," before knowing how to spell it.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing receive

American Football, 1st Quarter

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Commonly Misspelled Words, List 2

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Beowulf vocabulary

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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:

receive receives received receiving

Like many, Federer was disappointed that his about-to-retire countryman, Stan Wawrinka, didn’t receive a wild card to play the tournament.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

The winners will receive their awards in Strasbourg in September.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

After four years of follow-up, adults who had received at least one of the two Shingrix doses were substantially less likely to receive a dementia diagnosis.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

The Telegraph suggests Burnham's visit has also seen him receive a "gold mine" of secret battlefield intelligence to help "protect the UK from Russian spies and saboteurs".

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The information I receive from my system feels incomplete.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Workers pay taxes into the system throughout their careers, but if a person over age 55 receives Medicaid benefits for long-term medical care, states are required to seek reimbursement after they die.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

For example, Iran uses the UAE as a reexport hub and buffer, and receives vehicle spare parts from China, according to the Observatory for Economic Complexity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

It receives signals from throughout the brain, determines which information is most important, and helps coordinate the appropriate response.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

Everyone else receives bronze-tier getaways that include two nights in a variety of U.S. cities, and Mystery Vacations strives to sweeten the deals when possible, Jaura said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Even so, its interior temperatures are sufficiently high that it gives off about twice as much energy as it receives from the Sun.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

She and her father received a total of $28,000 for property damage and he got $1,400 for a personal-injury claim.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

From public defenders to college professors to public school teachers, people who were fired for social media comments about Kirk have received more than $5 million so far, paid for by taxpayers.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

In 2021, Parton publicly received a Covid-19 vaccine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, using the moment to encourage others to do the same.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

By gifting you the house, you received your mother’s tax basis rather than a step-up to its fair market value.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Each night we received two pages of code names to memorize.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Robinson played three seasons at Penn State and led the Big Ten Conference in receptions and receiving yards in 2012 and 2013 and receiving touchdowns in 2012.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Some survivors are receiving hospital treatment, including people with serious injuries.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The fact that your mother gave you the property doesn’t, in itself, prevent you from transferring it back to her and receiving a step-up in basis when she dies.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The authors reported receiving funding from GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Shingrix.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

And without the fact, the new notion that knowledge is grounded in evidence, not authority, might have received only the sort of inconsistent and unreliable endorsement that we have seen it receiving from della Porta.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023