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

Later in the year, GitHub started seeing faster growth in the creation of code libraries and the acceptance of code revisions. —Jordan Novet, CNBC, 22 May 2026

Colleges with nearly identical acceptance rates can give an individual student vastly different odds of admission. —Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Nearly two months after the lockout started, the parties resumed talks Monday morning, but bargaining stalled after USW leadership asked BP to end the lockout of more than 800 union workers without requiring acceptance of its March 17 contract proposal. —Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026

Despite the group’s acceptance, Terminus knew the rest of the world would see them through different eyes, ones not as gracious as their own. —Literary Hub, 20 May 2026

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