DictionaryAI

accept

uhk-SEPT/əkˈsɛpt/

Formsaccepts, accepting, accepted

Often confused with except

13 meanings of accept

Practice

  1. 1
    take what's offeredverbtransitive
    To take or receive something that is offered, especially willingly or gladly.

    When the neighbors brought over a homemade pie, we were happy to accept it and invited them in for coffee.

    She accepted the award with a gracious smile.

    UsageNot except (apart from), which can sound the same. The object follows directly: accept a gift, accept an offer.

    Similarwelcome, take

    Oppositerefuse

    Note

    Older English could put "of" after it, as when Joseph Addison writes in 1714 that she "accepted of a treat."

  2. 2
    verbtransitive
    To regard something as proper, usual, or true, or to believe in it.

    Scientists accept the theory because the evidence strongly supports it.

    He could not accept that his team had really lost.

    UsageOften with a that clause: accept that it is over; also accept something as true.

    Similarbelieve, recognize, credit, embrace

    Oppositereject, deny, dispute, doubt

  3. 3
    verbtransitive
    To agree or assent to something, such as a proposal or a condition.

    Both sides accept the conditions laid out in the agreement.

    She accepted his proposal of marriage that evening.

    UsageAccept usually takes a noun: accept the terms. For doing something, use agree to: agree to help (not incorrect: accept to help).

    Similarapprove, endorse, adopt

    Oppositereject, decline

  4. 4
    admit as memberverbtransitive
    To admit someone to a place or a group.

    The club will accept anyone who shares its goals.

    She was thrilled when the college accepted her application.

    UsageOften passive, with into or to: she was accepted into the program, accepted to college.

    Similaradmit

    Oppositereject, exclude

  5. 5
    put up withverbtransitive
    To put up with something difficult or unpleasant patiently, without trying to change or resist it.

    In time, they came to accept the loss with quiet dignity.

    She accepted the jury's verdict without a word of protest.

    UsageOften in come to accept or learn to accept: they came to accept the loss.

  6. 6
    verbtransitive
    To judge something good enough and take it instead of rejecting it, such as an excuse, an explanation, or a piece of work.

    The editor will accept the draft if it meets the journal's standards.

    They accepted the repair as satisfactory and signed the form.

    UsageOften with as: accept a coin as payment, accept a repair as satisfactory.

    Similarapprove

    Oppositereject

  7. 7
    verbtransitive
    To formally receive or approve something submitted in an official procedure, such as a report, a petition, or a resignation.

    The board will formally accept the committee's final report at its next public meeting.

    The registrar accepted the signed forms this morning.

    Similarreceive

    Oppositereject

  8. 8
    take (businesses)verbPhilippinestransitive
    Of a business, to take on a particular kind of work for customers, as a service it offers.

    "We accept phone and laptop repairs," read the sign above the little shop.

    The print shop near the campus accepts bookbinding and lamination for students.

    Similartake

    Oppositedecline

    Note

    In the Philippines a shop sign can use this verb to name the work a business takes on, as in "We accept repairs." The object is the job itself, not a payment or a customer. Elsewhere English usually says "We do repairs" or "Repairs done here," and keeps accept for what a business takes in, such as payments, orders, guests and bookings.

  9. 9
    take (machines)verbtransitive
    Of a machine or device, to be built to take in or handle a certain type of item, for example coins, payment cards, or a paper size.

    Most vending machines on campus now accept contactless cards as well as cash.

    The office printer accepts paper up to legal size in its main tray.

    Similartake, handle

  10. 10
    take blameverbtransitive
    To acknowledge that you are to blame for something, especially an error or a poor result, and to face whatever follows from it.

    The airline's chief executive accepted full responsibility for the canceled flights and promised refunds.

    Leaders who accept blame for their failures tend to keep the trust of their staff.

    UsageUsually with responsibility or blame: accept full responsibility, accept the blame for a mistake.

    Similarshoulder, take, acknowledge, admit, assume

    Oppositedeny, disclaim

Less common meanings

  1. 11
    bill of exchangeverbtransitive
    To agree to pay a bill of exchange or draft, usually by signing it when presented.

    The importer had to accept the bill of exchange, promising to pay in 90 days, before the bank would release the shipping documents.

    By signing across the face, the drawees accept the draft.

    Similarhonor

    Oppositedishonor

    Note

    Commerce and law give the verb a harder edge. Whoever accepts a draft is doing more than receiving a document, because the signature creates a binding promise to pay the stated sum to the holder when the bill matures. In everyday English the word suggests consent. In finance it means taking on a debt, so read it in contracts as an undertaking rather than a courtesy.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Accepting a draft involves a signed agreement to pay it. mgaleg.maryland.gov
    • Acceptance undertakes an enforceable payment obligation according to the bill's terms, including its amount and payment date. legislation.gov.uk
  2. 12
    adjectiveobsolete
    Regarded as approved, agreeable, or well received.
    Pass our accept and peremptory answer.
    1599, William Shakespeare, Henry V
    Note

    A bare-stem adjective that did the job later English gives to the participle accepted. In Shakespeare's Henry V (1599) the phrase "pass our accept and peremptory answer" pairs it with peremptory to describe an answer that is agreed and final. The use is obsolete and belongs to Early Modern texts, so recognize it when reading but write accepted.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Accept was an adjective equivalent to accepted. en.wiktionary.org
    • Shakespeare wrote Henry V in 1599. folgerpedia.folger.edu
    • The quotation occurs in Henry V, pairing accept with peremptory to qualify answer; the speaker is the King of France. folger.edu
    • This adjective is obsolete and attested in Early Modern English. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 13
    noun
    Something that is accepted, especially an item or case that a computer process lets through rather than rejects.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of accept apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

First attested around 1380, this came through Middle English accepten from Old French accepter, or directly from Latin acceptāre ('receive'), a frequentative of accipiō, formed from ad- plus capiō ('to take'). It displaced the native Old English onfōn.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts