reception

noun

re·​cep·​tion ri-ˈsep-shən 

1

: the act or action or an instance of receiving: such as

a

: receipt

the reception and distribution of funds

b

: admission

reception into the church

c

: response, reaction

the play met with a mixed reception

d

: the receiving of a radio or television broadcast

e

: the catching of a forward pass by a receiver

2

: a social gathering often for the purpose of extending a formal welcome

Did you know?

Reception is the noun form of receive. So at a formal reception, guests are received or welcomed or "taken in". A bad TV reception means the signal isn't being received well. When a new novel receives good reviews, we say it has met with a good critical reception. If it gets a poor reception, on the other hand, that's the same as saying that it wasn't well-received.

Synonyms of reception

• event
• party
• celebration
• bash

Examples of reception in a Sentence

The school held a reception for the new students and their families.

He decided to run for a seat on the school committee only a year after his reception into the community.

Her job is to deal with the reception of donations.

Recent Examples on the Web

The sit-down reception is swift, and the flower displays are out of this world. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 June 2026

Even in this setting where the president could reliably expect a warm reception, his entrance was met with a mix of cheers and boos. —Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 16 June 2026

Related Stories The gathering, produced by Media Partners Asia, opens with a June 16 welcome reception hosted by Netflix, preceded by an AVIA Policy Roundtable, an AVIA State of Piracy Roundtable and an invitation-only APOS CEO Forum. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 June 2026

More than special, Sazan looks like something out of Steven Spielberg’s imagination, an artifact that survived the Jurassic era but gets cell phone reception just fine. —Marzio G. Mian, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English recepcion, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French reception, from Latin reception-, receptio, from recipere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing reception

• reception area
• reception class
• reception room

Rhymes for reception

• conception
• deception
• exception
• inception
• perception
• apperception
• contraception
• interception
• misconception
• misperception
• preconception
• intussusception

Kids Definition

reception

noun

re·​cep·​tion ri-ˈsep-shən 

1

: the act or process of receiving, welcoming, or accepting

a warm reception

2

: the receiving of a radio or television broadcast

3

: a social gathering

a wedding reception