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Definition of receive
received
;receiving
transitive verb
1 : to come into possession of : acquire receive a gift
2a : to act as a receptacle or container for the cistern receives water from the roofb : to assimilate through the mind or senses receive new ideas
3a : to permit to enter : admitb : welcome, greetc : to react to in a specified manner
4 : to accept as authoritative, true, or accurate : believe
5a : to support the weight or pressure of : bearb : to take (a mark or impression) from the weight of something some clay receives clear impressionsc : acquire, experience received his early schooling at homed : to suffer the hurt or injury of received a broken nose
intransitive verb
1 : to be a recipient
2 : to be at home to visitors receives on Tuesdays
3 : to convert incoming radio waves into perceptible signals
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Examples of receive in a Sentence
George, white-gloved, with a gardenia in his buttonhole, stood with his mother and the Major, embowered in the big red and gold drawing room downstairs, to “receive” the guests; and, standing thus together, the trio offered a picturesque example of good looks persistent through three generations. —Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons, 1918
From this time the astronomer was received into familiar friendship, and partook of all their projects and pleasures: his respect kept him attentive, and the activity of Rasselas did not leave much time unengaged. —Samuel Johnson, Rasselas, 1759
… his stark and devastating description of Vichy collaborationism (which he based on German and American archives) was rather badly received in France … —Stanley Hoffmann, New York Times Book Review, 1 Nov. 1981
You will be charged a late fee if the electric company does not receive your payment on time.
I received a letter from her yesterday.
You will receive a discount if you spend over $100.
She received the news of his death with remarkable calmness.
Recent Examples of receive from the Web
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Shaub also pushed for the administration to publicly reveal which aides were receiving ethics waivers and chastised House Republicans for not investing ethics inquiries further.
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According to People, a group of teenage fans also camped out at a nearby lighthouse hoping for a sighting of their great leader, only to receive 1989 guitar picks sent over by Taylor’s dad.
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One Republican Trumpcare skeptic, Nevada’s Dean Heller, did receive public encouragement to support the legislation — during a trip to a county in northern Nevada that backed Trump over Clinton by a 53.5 percent margin.
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His case received international attention after some dubbed him a child soldier.
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Terms of the Birnbaum loan called for his firm to receive at least 40 percent of this money.
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And of course Clinton actually won the popular vote by 2.9 million votes, receiving 48.2 percent of all votes compared to Trump’s 46.1 percent.
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There were 11 first-time starters last season in San Diego, the last year the winning league received home-field advantage in the World Series.
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Wolter’s father, wife and younger brother received the body before it was transferred to a police hospital for an autopsy.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'receive'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of receive
Middle English, from Anglo-French receivre, from Latin recipere, from re- + capere to take — more at heave
RECEIVE Defined for English Language Learners
receive
playDefinition of receive for English Language Learners
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: to get or be given (something)
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: to react to (something) in a specified way
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: to welcome (someone) in usually a formal way
RECEIVE Defined for Kids
receive
playDefinition of receive for Students
received
;receiving
1 : to take or get something that is given, paid, or sent Did you receive the money I sent?
2 : 2experience Stone Fox refused to speak with the white man because of the treatment his people had received. — John Reynolds Gardiner, Stone Fox
3 : to accept as a visitor or member : welcome She's too ill to receive friends.
4 : to change incoming radio waves into sounds or pictures
Learn More about receive
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See words that rhyme with receive Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for receive Spanish Central: Translation of receive Nglish: Translation of receive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of receive for Arabic speakers
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