Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To take or acquire (something given or offered); get or be given.
  • intransitive verb To be the person who gets (something sent or transmitted).
  • intransitive verb Sports To catch or get possession of (a pass or a kicked ball, for example).
  • intransitive verb To have (a title, for example) bestowed on oneself.
  • intransitive verb To hear or see (information, for example).
  • intransitive verb To perceive or acquire mentally.
  • intransitive verb To regard with approval or disapproval.
  • intransitive verb To listen to and acknowledge formally and authoritatively.
  • intransitive verb To take in and convert (radio waves, for example) into an electrical signal or into an audio or visual output.
  • intransitive verb To experience or be subjected to; meet with.
  • intransitive verb To have inflicted or imposed on oneself.
  • intransitive verb To bear the weight or force of; support.
  • intransitive verb To take or intercept the impact of (a blow, for example).
  • intransitive verb To be exposed to or withstand.
  • intransitive verb To take in, hold, or contain.
  • intransitive verb To admit or accept.
  • intransitive verb To greet, welcome, or be visited by.
  • intransitive verb To acquire or get something; be a recipient.
  • intransitive verb To admit or welcome guests or visitors.
  • intransitive verb To partake of the Eucharist.
  • intransitive verb To convert incoming electromagnetic signals into sound, light, or electrical signals.
  • intransitive verb Sports To receive a pass or a kicked ball, for example.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To take from a source or agency of transmission; get by transfer: as, to receive money or a letter; to receive gifts.
  • To take or get from a primary source: as, to receive favors or a good education; to receive an impression, a wound, or a shock.
  • To take notice of on coming or appearing; greet the advent of; salute or treat upon approach: as, to receive an actor with applause; to receive news joyfully.
  • To take or consider favorably; admit as credible, worthy, acceptable, etc.; give admission or recognition to: as, to receive a person into one's friendship; a received authority.
  • To admit for intercourse or entertainment; grant audience or welcome to; give a friendly reception to: as, to receive an ambassador or guests.
  • To take in or on; give entrance to; hold; contain; have capacity for: as, a box to receive contributions.
  • To perceive; comprehend; take into the mind.
  • In law: To take by transfer in a criminal manner; accept the custody or possession of from a known thief: as, to receive stolen goods.
  • To admit as pertinent; take into consideration; permit the reception of: as, the court refused to receive the evidence, and ordered it to be stricken out.
  • Synonyms and Receive, Take, Accept. These words are in the order of strength in regard to the willingness with which the thing in question is received, etc., but none of them is warm. One may receive a letter, a challenge to a duel, a remittance, detriment, or a wound: the word thus may be wholly neuter. One may take cold, but, more often, take that which he might refuse, as a present, a bribe, offense, a pinch of snuff, or an orange. One may accept one's fate, but even then the word means a mental consent, a movement of mind; more often it means to receive with some willingness, as to accept a proposition, an invitation, or an offer. An offer, etc., may be received and not accepted.
  • To be a receiver or recipient; come into custody or possession of something by transfer.
  • To give, or take part in holding, a reception; greet and entertain visitors, especially at certain fixed times.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To receive visitors; to be at home to receive calls.
  • intransitive verb (Lawn Tennis) To return, or bat back, the ball when served.
  • transitive verb To take, as something that is offered, given, committed, sent, paid, or the like; to accept
  • transitive verb Hence: To gain the knowledge of; to take into the mind by assent to; to give admission to; to accept, as an opinion, notion, etc.; to embrace.
  • transitive verb To allow, as a custom, tradition, or the like; to give credence or acceptance to.
  • transitive verb To give admittance to; to permit to enter, as into one's house, presence, company, and the like
  • transitive verb To admit; to take in; to hold; to contain; to have capacity for; to be able to take in.
  • transitive verb To be affected by something; to suffer; to be subjected to
  • transitive verb To take from a thief, as goods known to be stolen.
  • transitive verb (Lawn Tennis) To bat back (the ball) when served.
  • transitive verb one on board of which newly recruited sailors are received, and kept till drafted for service.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English receiven, from Old North French receivre, from Latin recipere : re-, re- + capere, to take; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English receiven, from Old French recever, from Latin recipere, past participle receptus ("to take back, get back, regain, recover, take to oneself, admit, accept, receive, take in, assume, allow, etc."), from re- ("back") + capio ("to take"); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Replaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (eg. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen ("to receive") (from Old English þicgan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen ("to receive") (from Old French aquillir, encueillir).

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Examples

  • Toyota's first step will be expanding its ringed logos across social media, at this summer's action-sports Dew Tour, by sponsoring a best-athlete voting contest as well as a scavenger hunt where participants who snap a tag receive a video response from a tour celebrity.

    NYT > Home Page By ELIZABETH OLSON 2011

  • Toyota's first step will be expanding its ringed logos across social media, at this summer's action-sports Dew Tour, by sponsoring a best-athlete voting contest as well as a scavenger hunt where participants who snap a tag receive a video response from a tour celebrity.

    NYT > Home Page By ELIZABETH OLSON 2011

  • For example, Manulife was selling policies that allowed investors to make deposits over a 10-year period and at the end of the term receive a guaranteed 75% of their total investment or market value, whichever was higher.

    GuruFocus Updates - 2009

  • They expected to receive a code word from those in charge that would expose us as messengers.

    Water Sleeps Cook, Glen 1999

  • Gridironfans. com - ... a pass play is called from the sideline, Sanchez will receive a code word from Rex Ryan, the new, self-appointed chief of ball security.

    BallHype - Top Sports News, Videos, and Blogs 2009

  • Source: jetsgab. com 116 minutes ago - The New York Daily News reports that a new play call for Mark Sanchez has been reveled: When a pass play is called from the sideline, Sanchez will receive a code word from Rex Ryan, the new, self-appointed chief of ball security.

    BallHype - Top Sports News, Videos, and Blogs 2009

  • When a pass play is called from the sideline, Sanchez will receive a code word from

    NY Daily News 2009

  • Independent appraisers say some management companies are already looking for ways to bypass the Fed, such as requiring them to sign statements in advance of their work that the fee they receive is "customary and reasonable," even though it's bare-bones and far below what experienced appraisers would be paid.

    Without enforcement, new rules on appraisals may be business as usual Post 2010

  • A: Life insurance proceeds that you receive from the death of an individual are excluded from taxable income and are not subject to income taxes for individual income tax purposes.

    Tax help today: If you can't pay by deadline and other last-minute tax questions 2010

  • They are not building low income housing anymore -- despite of the millions they receive from the goverment.

    City Audit Shows Major Shortage of Services for Homeless « PubliCola 2010

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