receive

[ri-seev]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR receive ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), re·ceived, re·ceiv·ing.

to take into one's possession (something offered or delivered): to receive many gifts.

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.

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), re·ceived, re·ceiv·ing.

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.

Origin of receive

1250–1300; Middle English receven < Old North French receivre < Latin recipere, equivalent to re- re- + -cipere, combining form of capere to take

Related formsin·ter·re·ceive, verb (used with object), in·ter·re·ceived, in·ter·re·ceiv·ing.non·re·ceiv·ing, adjectivepre·re·ceive, verb (used with object), pre·re·ceived, pre·re·ceiv·ing.un·re·ceiv·ing, adjective

Synonyms for receive

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR receive ON THESAURUS.COM

11. admit, entertain, welcome.

Antonyms for receive

1. give.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for receives

draw, earn, secure, get, win, make, seize, obtain, accept, pocket, collect, hear, take, hold, reap, gain, suffer, undergo, welcome, introduce

Examples from the Web for receives

Contemporary Examples of receives

On the day of the AFI dinner, Hitchcock receives a wire from Frank Capra, who is in Palm Springs.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
He often receives inquiries from sellers eager to verify that their items are authentic.
Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts
Candida Moss
November 23, 2014
Since then, all dividend payments have been frozen and Iran receives “no uranium or revenue from the mine.”
McCain Helps a Business Partner of Iran
Ben Jacobs
November 13, 2014
He recounts to her the bullying he receives at school, with classmates spitting on him as he walks down the halls.
‘To Russia With Love’: Can Johnny Weir Save Russia’s Gays?
Kevin Fallon
October 29, 2014
He receives phantom phone calls from people who promise him a safe haven.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero
Regina Lizik
October 28, 2014

Historical Examples of receives

Rumi-naui himself enters and receives the thanks of his sovereign.
Apu Ollantay
Anonymous
Does every one who receives the sacraments derive a benefit from them?
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
Joseph Stump
One who receives a benefit from another, or is otherwise an object of charity.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
The fault may lie in him that receives or in him that gives, or it may be in neither.
A Dish Of Orts
George MacDonald
They might pay it to the telegraph operator who receives the message!
A Woman Intervenes
Robert Barr

British Dictionary definitions for receives

receive

verb (mainly tr)

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 withto 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, etche 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) mainly British to buy and sell stolen goods

Word Origin for receive

C13: from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere to take back, from re- + capere to take

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

Word Origin and History for receives

receive

c.1300, from Old North French receivre (Old French recoivre) "seize, take hold of, pick up; welcome, accept," from Latin recipere "regain, take back, bring back, carry back, recover; take to oneself, take in, admit," from re- "back," though the exact sense here is obscure (see re-) + -cipere, comb. form of capere "to take" (see capable). Radio and (later) television sense is attested from 1908. Related: Received; receiving.