acceptance

noun

ac·​cep·​tance ik-ˈsep-tən(t)s 

ak-

1

: the quality or state of being accepted or acceptable

His theories have gained widespread acceptance.

2

: the act of accepting something or someone : the fact of being accepted : approval

acceptance of responsibility

3

law : an agreeing either expressly or by conduct to the act or offer of another so that a contract is concluded and the parties become legally bound

4

a

: the act of accepting a time draft or bill of exchange for payment when due according to the specified terms

b

: an accepted draft or bill of exchange

5

: acceptation sense 2

Examples of acceptance in a Sentence

her acceptance into the club

The university has sent me a letter of acceptance.

He delivered an acceptance speech after he was chosen as the party's presidential nominee.

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, investigators continued to dig into the background of Robinson, who was admitted to Utah State University, about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City, on an academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member's social media account. —Arkansas Online, 13 Sep. 2025

Crypto and crypto-adjacent products and services have experienced significant growth, adoption, and acceptance since the last bear market kicked off by the collapse of FTX, but still are – for all intents and purposes – a fringe component of the financial world. —Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025

The large acceptance of CLAS12 allowed for a comprehensive measurement across the entire resonance region in a single experiment. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025

There was also an acceptance that, as director of football operations at the Etihad, the only remaining promotion available would require him to wait out chief executive Ferran Soriano, who had been a mentor to him. —Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French, "agreement to abide by the act on another," from accepter "to accept" + -ance -ance

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing acceptance

• acceptance speech
• banker's acceptance
• find acceptance
• self-acceptance
• trade acceptance

Rhymes for acceptance

• nonacceptance

Kids Definition

acceptance

noun

ac·​cep·​tance ik-ˈsep-tən(t)s 

ak-

1

: the act of accepting

2

: the quality or state of being accepted or acceptable