receiving end

American  

noun

1. the position in which one is subject to some kind of action or effect, especially an unpleasant one (usually used in the phrase at oron the receiving end ).

   The corporation is on the receiving end of many complaints about its advertising.

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Etymology

Origin of receiving end

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

“When we learn critical thinking with and from other humans, we cannot easily forget that humans are on the receiving end of the ideas we communicate.”

From Salon • Mar. 30, 2026

Scott’s philanthropy is on a different order of magnitude, and life on the receiving end of it can be head-spinning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

What’s suffering as a result of these attacks: the ability of ordinary people who were on the receiving end of crackdowns to get good representation to fight back.

From Slate • Mar. 5, 2026

She claimed she did not have a good relationship with Behr, and had "been on the receiving end of some not very pleasant behaviour".

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

Since Lord Ashton’s time was devoted to some important business in town, it was Miss Penelope Lumley who increasingly found herself on the receiving end of her mistress’s desire to chat.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood