receiver

American  

[ri-see-ver] / rɪˈsi vər /

noun

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

• prereceiver
  noun
• underreceiver
  noun

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

Receiver, offensive line and edge rusher are among the positions the Rams could address with their first top-15 pick since they selected quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in 2016.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Receiver was his position of choice from the time he was a kid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Receiver Davante Adams led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

"Every item reported to the Receiver would have had an owner, as such they have a year to claim the items on proof of ownership," it said.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026

“The messages transmit in every language. I’ve tuned the Receiver to English only because that’s what we all speak.”

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart