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accept

verb ac·cept \ik-ˈsept, ak- also ek-\

: to receive or take (something offered)

: to take (something) as payment

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

Full Definition of ACCEPT

transitive verb

a : to receive 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>

: to give admittance or approval to <accept her as one of the group>

a : to endure without protest or reaction <accept poor living conditions>

b : to regard as proper, normal, or inevitable <the idea is widely accepted>

c : to recognize as true : believe <refused to accept the explanation>

a : to make a favorable response to <accept an offer>

b : to agree to undertake (a responsibility) <accept a job>

: to assume an obligation to pay; also : to take in payment <we don't accept personal checks>

: 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>

— ac·cept·ing·ly \-ˈsep-tiŋ-lē\ adverb

— ac·cept·ing·ness \-tiŋ-nəs\ noun

See accept defined for English-language learners

See accept defined for kids

Examples of ACCEPT

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
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Origin of ACCEPT

Middle English, from Anglo-French accepter, from Latin acceptare, frequentative of accipere to receive, from ad- + capere to take — more at heave

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to ACCEPT

Synonyms: take, have

Antonyms: decline, deny, disallow, disapprove, negative, refuse, reject, spurn, turn down, veto

Rhymes with ACCEPT

adept, backswept, concept, except, inept, percept, precept, transept, upswept, windswept

ACCEPT Defined for Kids

accept

verb ac·cept \ik-ˈsept, ak-\

ac·cept·edac·cept·ing

Definition of ACCEPT for Kids

: to receive or take willingly <accept a gift> <accept as a member>

: to agree to <He accepted my invitation.>

: to stop resisting <accept change>

: to admit deserving <accept blame> <accept responsibility>

Word Root of ACCEPT

The Latin word capere, meaning “to seize” or “to take,” and its form captus give us the roots cap, capt, and cept. Words from the Latin capere have something to do with taking. To capture is to take something or someone by using force. To accept is to take something willingly. Anyone capable of doing something is able to take on that task.