receiver

American  

[ri-see-ver] / rɪˈsi vər /

noun

• receivers
  plural

1. a person or thing that receives.

2. a device or apparatus that receives electrical signals, waves, or the like, and renders them perceptible to the senses, as the part of a telephone held to the ear, a radio receiving set, or a television receiving set.

3. Law. a person appointed by a court to manage the affairs of a bankrupt business or person or to care for property in litigation.

4. Commerce. a person appointed to receive money due.

5. a person who knowingly receives stolen goods for an illegal purpose; a dealer in stolen merchandise.

6. a device or apparatus for receiving or holding something; receptacle; container.

7. (in a firearm) the basic metal unit housing the action and to which the barrel and other components are attached.

8. Chemistry. a vessel for collecting and containing a distillate.

9. Football. a player on the offensive team who catches, is eligible to catch, or is noted for the ability to catch a forward pass.

   Jones was the receiver of the first pass thrown. He sent all his receivers downfield.

10. Baseball. the catcher.

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receiver British  

/ rɪˈsiːvə /

noun

1. a person who receives something; recipient

2. a person appointed by a court to manage property pending the outcome of litigation, during the infancy of the owner, or after the owner(s) has been declared bankrupt or of unsound mind

3. a person who receives stolen goods knowing that they have been stolen

4. the equipment in a telephone, radio, or television that receives incoming electrical signals or modulated radio waves and converts them into the original audio or video signals

5. the part of a telephone containing the earpiece and mouthpiece that is held by the telephone user

6. the equipment in a radar system, radio telescope, etc, that converts incoming radio signals into a useful form, usually displayed on the screen of a cathode-ray oscilloscope

7. an obsolete word for receptacle

8. chem a vessel in which the distillate is collected during distillation

9. sport a player whose function is to receive the ball, esp a footballer who catches long passes

10. the metallic frame situated behind the breech of a gun to guide the round into the chamber

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receiver Scientific  

/ rĭ-sē′vər /

1. A device, as in a radio or telephone, that converts incoming radio, microwave, or electrical signals to a form, such as sound or light, that can be perceived by humans.

2. Compare transmitter

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prereceiver
  noun
• underreceiver
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• receivers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of receiver

1300–50; 1875–80 receiver for def. 2; receive + -er ¹; replacing Middle English recevour < Anglo-French receivour, recevour (< Old French recevere )

Explanation

What do football, radio, and email have in common? They all involve a receiver! A receiver is a position in American football, a part of a radio that translates the signal, or the person who gets the email you sent. If you collect or accept something, you're a receiver. When an object is a receiver, it's either the part of a telephone that you listen to or the component of a stereo system, radio, or television that receives audio or video signals. Another kind of receiver is the North American football player who takes a position toward the edge of the field and who specializes in passing and catching the ball.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

receiver receivers

In the end, it was Maye who made it happen, tossing a late touchdown with a brilliant one-handed catch by unheralded receiver Efton Chism III.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Isamu Noguchi created a baby monitor before baby monitors were a thing: the Radio Nurse, a dark Bakelite receiver resembling an abstract face.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

But a first-year wide receiver named Nate Bailey was already putting his Harvard football education to good use.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

By 1985 Silicon Valley had shrunk the receiver to the size of a typewriter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

“You’re all right,” I said into the receiver.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

The job of the orbiting receivers now was to determine in a split second which of Aurich’s variations would work in that particular scenario.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Nacua and other Rams receivers continue to be awed by Adams after his back-to-back 100-yard performances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

“I’m just glad to see him making plays on guys that aren’t our receivers now,” Adams said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

Cincinnati Bengals receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were both fined for making a gesture the league deemed to be obscene.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Cone-shaped receivers rattle left and right on top of each one.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton