receptor

noun

re·cep·tor | \ ri-ˈsep-tər

Definition of receptor

: receiver: such as

a : a cell or group of cells that receives stimuli : sense organ

b : a chemical group or molecule (such as a protein) on the cell surface or in the cell interior that has an affinity for a specific chemical group, molecule, or virus

Examples of receptor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The study enrolled more than 10,200 women with hormone-receptor-positive breast tumors that hadn’t spread to nearby lymph nodes, and didn’t test positive for the HER2 protein, which promotes tumor growth. — Peter Loftus, WSJ, "Doctors Suggest Less Chemo, Surgery for Some Cancer Treatments," 3 June 2018 In that work, researchers screened blood samples from 82 children with autism and 52 controls for antibodies that react with a folate receptor. — Nicholette Zeliadt, Washington Post, "Taking folic acid may lower the risk of autism and ease features of the condition," 2 Apr. 2018 These extra receptors allowed the cells to identify when a pair of specific proteins was floating around them. — William Herkewitz, Popular Mechanics, "Engineered Cells Can Create Medicine Inside Your Body," 17 Dec. 2015 To make them, the researchers first fitted cells with two new types of chemical receptors on their surface. — William Herkewitz, Popular Mechanics, "Engineered Cells Can Create Medicine Inside Your Body," 17 Dec. 2015 As an adenosine antagonist, caffeine is an opposing force that helps wake you up by binding to your adenosine receptors. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "How to Tell if Your 'Caffeine Withdrawal Headaches' Are Actually Migraines," 25 Jan. 2019 The conventional explanation for how smell works seems straightforward: The receptors accept very specific shapes of molecules. — Tim Folger, Discover Magazine, "How Quantum Mechanics Lets Us See, Smell and Touch," 24 Oct. 2018 Another theory holds that caffeine acts as a diuretic by working on receptors for the neurotransmitter adenosine in a way that changes your body’s sodium and fluid balance. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Is Coffee Actually Dehydrating?," 6 Mar. 2019 What’s more, not all HIV viruses use CCR5 receptors to raid cells. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "A Patient with HIV Has Gone Into Remission—Only the Second Case in Recorded Medical History," 6 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'receptor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 May 2019

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Time Traveler for receptor

The first known use of receptor was in 1898

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More Definitions for receptor

receptor

noun

English Language Learners Definition of receptor

biology : a nerve ending that senses changes in light, temperature, pressure, etc., and causes the body to react in a particular way

See the full definition for receptor in the English Language Learners Dictionary

receptor

noun

re·cep·tor | \ ri-ˈsep-tər

Kids Definition of receptor

: a cell that receives a stimulus (as light or heat) and activates an associated nerve to send a message to the brain and that may be grouped into a sense organ (as a taste bud)

receptor

noun

re·cep·tor | \ ri-ˈsep-tər

Medical Definition of receptor

1 : a cell or group of cells that receives stimuli : sense organ

2 : a chemical group or molecule (as a protein) on the cell surface or in the cell interior that has an affinity for a specific chemical group, molecule, or virus

3 : a cellular entity (as a beta-receptor or alpha-receptor) that is a postulated intermediary between a chemical agent (as a neurohormone) acting on nervous tissue and the physiological or pharmacological response