receive

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɹɪˈsiːv/ See IPA manual

Freq #2394

Meanings

1

verb
To get or be given something that is sent or offered.

He received many presents for his birthday.
2

verb
To take and accept something that is offered.

She received the award with a smile.
3

verb
To react to or be treated in a particular way.

The writer's new collection of poems was not well received.
4

verb
To welcome and let someone into your home or presence.

The community warmly received the refugees.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to get or be given... get

2 verb · to take and accept... accept

4 verb · to welcome and let someone... welcome

More acquire attain cop enlist fang gain garner land obtain procure

Opposites

give lose sellunacquireunget

Word family

Forms receivdreceivedreceivesreceiving

Derived forms autoreceivemisreceivereceivabilityrxtransceive

Related forms deserve receipt receivablereceivablenessreceivalreceiveablereceiver receivershipreceivingreceptacle reception receptionist

Appears in

Phrases (11)

See all

receive a letter
get a written message that was sent to you

Verb + noun
receive a bill
get a statement requesting payment

Verb + noun
receive a call
to get an incoming telephone call

Verb + noun
receive a message
get a message sent by someone else

Verb + noun
receive a mention
to be formally acknowledged or referred to

Verb + noun
receive an honor
to be given a formal award or distinction

Verb + noun

Proverbs (3)

See all

Simplified etymology

Receive dates from Middle English and ultimately derives from Latin capere ‘take or hold’; its literal sense is ‘take back’.

Etymology

From Middle English receyven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere (“take back, accept, etc.”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Displaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (e.g. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen (“to receive”) (from Old English þiċġan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen (“to receive”) (from Old French aquillir, encueillir).

*keh₂p- Proto-Indo-European receyven Middle English recevoir Old French recipiō Latin -fōn fon

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# receive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ɹɪˈsiːv/
**Frequency rank:** 2394

## Meanings
1. To get or be given something that is sent or offered.
2. To take and accept something that is offered.
3. To react to or be treated in a particular way.
4. To welcome and let someone into your home or presence.

## Examples
- He received many presents for his birthday.
- She received the award with a smile.
- The writer's new collection of poems was not well received.
- The community warmly received the refugees.

## Synonyms
- accept
- acquire
- attain
- cop
- enlist
- fang
- gain
- garner
- get
- land
- obtain
- procure

## Antonyms
- give
- lose
- sell
- unacquire
- unget

## Derived Forms
- autoreceive
- misreceive
- receivability
- rx
- transceive

## Related Forms
- deserve
- receipt
- receivable
- receivableness
- receival
- receiveable
- receiver
- receivership
- receiving
- receptacle
- reception
- receptionist

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *keh₂p-
- Root: receyven
- Root: recevoir
- Root: recipiō
- Root: -fōn

## Etymology
From Middle English receyven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere (“take back, accept, etc.”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Displaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (e.g. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen (“to receive”) (from Old English þiċġan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen (“to receive”) (from Old French aquillir, encueillir).

## AI Etymology
Receive comes from Middle English receyven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere (“take back, accept, etc.”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Displaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (e.g. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen (“to receive”) (from Old English þiċġan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen (“to receive”) (from Old French aquillir, encueillir). Modern senses include to get or be given something that is sent or offered. and to take and accept something that is offered.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as autoreceive, misreceive, receivability, rx, and transceive and related forms such as deserve, receipt, receivable, and receivableness.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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