accept

verb

ac·​cept ik-ˈsept 

ak-,

 also  ek-

accepted; accepting; accepts

transitive verb

1

a

: to receive (something offered) willingly

accept a gift

b

: to be able or designed to take or hold (something applied or added)

a surface that will not accept ink

2

: to give admittance or approval to

accept her as one of the group

3

a

: to endure without protest or reaction

accept poor living conditions

b

: to regard as proper, normal, or inevitable

an idea that is widely accepted

c

: to recognize as true : believe

refused to accept the explanation

4

a

: to make a favorable response to

accept an offer

b

: to agree to undertake (a responsibility)

accept a job

5

: to assume an obligation to pay

also : to take in payment

we don't accept personal checks

6

of a deliberative body : to receive (a legislative report) officially

intransitive verb

: to receive favorably something offered

—usually used with of

a heart more disposed to accept of his

—Jane Austen

Synonyms

• have
• take

Examples of accept in a Sentence

When Bess was born, my mother had a hard time accepting many of our parenting choices. —Kelly Coyle DiNorcia, Mothering, March & April 2008

Despite Alexander's general skepticism about speed measurements, he does accept the cheetah as probably the fastest known running species. The measurement he finds most reliable, 29 m/s (about 65 mph), comes from a 1997 record along a 200-meter course clocked by an experienced timekeeper for athletic races. —Susan Milius, Science News, 16 Aug. 2008

The Edinburgh Christ in the House of Martha and Mary doesn't look like a Vermeer, although its signature has been accepted as genuine. —James Fenton, New York Review of Books, 6 Nov. 2008

They offered him the job, and he accepted it.

They offered him the job, and he accepted.

The store doesn't accept credit cards.

a surface that will not accept ink

a computer program ready to accept commands

They accepted some applications and rejected others.

She's still trying to get her manuscript accepted for publication.

They refused to accept his resignation.

a word that has come to be accepted as standard

This treatment is now accepted by many doctors.

Recent Examples on the Web

In May, multiple justices recused themselves from deciding whether to accept an appeal involving alleged plagiarism in books published by Penguin Random House. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 18 June 2025

The site accepts submissions of other pre-AI content sources through its Tumblr page. —ArsTechnica, 18 June 2025

The nine-member council now has until June 26 to accept or possibly override Gloria’s package of vetoes, with an override requiring a supermajority of six council members The council approved the budget last week in a 7-2 vote, making six votes for a veto override seem possible. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2025

Over 360,000 students applied for a Goldman Sachs internship this year, which accepted fewer than 1%. —Brit Morse, Fortune, 17 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English accepten "to receive graciously, favor, approve of, judge worthy," borrowed from Anglo-French accepter, borrowed from Medieval Latin acceptāre, going back to Latin, "to receive regularly, submit to, admit of," frequentative of accipere "to take, receive, accept, learn, interpret," from ad- ad- + capere "to take" — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing accept

• accept for publication
• accept/take as gospel
• accept/take (something) on faith
• accept that
• accept the fact that

Rhymes for accept

• adept
• except
• inept
• precept
• sidestepped
• transept
• windswept
• crept
• kept
• leaped
• leapt
• prepped

Kids Definition

accept

verb

ac·​cept ik-ˈsept 

ak-

1

a

: to receive or take willingly

accept a gift

accepted her as a member

b

: to be able or designed to take or hold (something applied or added)

a surface that will not accept ink

a computer program ready to accept commands

2

a

: to agree to

accept an offer

b

: to agree to undertake (a responsibility)

accept a job

c

: to take on an obligation to pay

also : to take in payment

don't accept checks

3

: to think of as proper or normal

the idea is widely accepted

accepter noun

or acceptor

-ˈsep-tər

Etymology

Middle English accepten "receive, accept," from early French accepter (same meaning), derived from Latin accipere "receive," from ac-, ad- "to" and capere "to take" — related to capture, except, receive

Legal Definition

accept

transitive verb

ac·​cept ik-ˈsept, ak- 

1

a

: to receive with consent

accept a gift

accept service

b

: to assent to the receipt of and treat in such a way as to indicate ownership of

accepted the shipment despite discovering defects in the merchandise

compare reject

Note: Under section 2-606(1) of the Uniform Commercial Code, a buyer accepts goods if: 1) he or she indicates to the seller after a reasonable opportunity to inspect them that he or she will keep them; 2) he or she fails to effectively reject them; 3) he or she acts in a way that is inconsistent with the seller's ownership of the goods.

2

: to make an affirmative or favorable response to

specifically : to indicate by words or action one's assent to (an offer) and willingness to enter into a contract

Note: A contract is created when the offer is accepted.

3

: to assume orally, in writing, or by conduct an obligation to pay

accepting a draft

4

of a deliberative body : to receive (a report) officially (as from a committee)

intransitive verb

1

: to receive favorably something offered

—usually used with of

no person…shall…accept of any present

—U.S. Constitution art. I

2

: to receive and assume ownership of goods

under section 2-606(1), buyer has accepted if he has done any of the acts described therein

—J. J. White and R. S. Summers

acceptance

ik-ˈsep-təns, ak- 

noun

accepter noun

or acceptor

-tər