accept


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accept

receive: She will accept the award.; answer affirmatively: I accept your invitation.
Not to be confused with:
except – leave out; exclude: present company excepted; with the exclusion of: Everyone was there except for the guest of honor.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

ac·cept

 (ăk-sĕpt′)
v. ac·cept·ed, ac·cept·ing, ac·cepts
v.tr.
1.
a. To answer affirmatively: accept an invitation.
b. To agree to take (a duty or responsibility).
2. To receive (something offered), especially with gladness or approval: accepted a glass of water; accepted their contract.
3. To admit to a group, organization, or place: accepted me as a new member of the club.
4.
a. To regard as proper, usual, or right: Such customs are widely accepted.
b. To regard as true; believe in: Scientists have accepted the new theory.
c. To understand as having a specific meaning.
5. To endure resignedly or patiently: accept one's fate.
6. To be able to hold (something applied or inserted): This wood will not accept oil paints.
7. To receive officially: accept the committee's report.
8. To consent to pay, as by a signed agreement.
9. To take payment in the form of: a store that does not accept checks.
10. Medicine To receive (a transplanted organ or tissue) without immunological rejection.
v.intr.
To receive something, especially with favor. Often used with of.

[Middle English accepten, from Latin acceptāre, frequentative of accipere, to receive : ad-, ad- + capere, to take; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]

ac·cept′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

accept

(əkˈsɛpt)
vb (mainly tr)
1. to take or receive (something offered)
2. to give an affirmative reply to: to accept an invitation.
3. to take on the responsibilities, duties, etc, of: he accepted office.
4. to tolerate or accommodate oneself to
5. to consider as true or believe in (a philosophy, theory, etc): I cannot accept your argument.
6. (may take a clause as object) to be willing to grant or believe: you must accept that he lied.
7. to receive with approval or admit, as into a community, group, etc
8. (Commerce) commerce to agree to pay (a bill, draft, shipping document, etc), esp by signing
9. to receive as adequate, satisfactory, or valid
10. to receive, take, or hold (something applied, inserted, etc)
11. archaic (sometimes foll by: of) to take or receive an offer, invitation, etc
[C14: from Latin acceptāre, from ad- to + capere to take]
acˈcepter n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ac•cept

(ækˈsɛpt)

v.t.
1. to take or receive (something offered).
2. to receive with approval or favor: to accept a proposal.
3. to receive or admit as adequate or satisfactory: to accept an apology.
4. to respond or answer affirmatively to: to accept an invitation.
5. to undertake the duties, responsibilities, or honors of: to accept the office of president.
6. to admit formally, as to a college or club.
7. to accommodate or reconcile oneself to: to accept the situation.
8. to regard as true or sound; believe.
9. to regard as normal, suitable, or usual.
10. to receive as to meaning; understand.
11. to agree to pay, as a draft.
12. to receive or contain (something attached, inserted, etc.): This socket won't accept a three-pronged plug.
13. to receive (a transplanted organ or tissue) without adverse reaction. Compare reject (def. 7).
v.i.
14. to accept an invitation, gift, position, etc. (sometimes fol. by of).
[1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French accepter < Latin acceptāre, frequentative of accipere to receive = ac- ac- + -cipere,capere to take]
ac•cept′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

accept

If someone offers you something and you accept it, you agree to take it.

Jane accepted a slice of cake.
1. advice and suggestions

If you accept someone's advice or suggestion, you decide to do what they advise or suggest.

I knew that they would accept my proposal.

Be Careful!
However, don't say that you 'accept to do' what someone suggests. You say that you agree to do it.

The princess agreed to go on television.
She agreed to let us use her flat while she was away.
2. situations and people

If you accept a difficult or unpleasant situation, you recognize that it cannot be changed.

They refused to accept poor working conditions.
Astronauts accept danger as part of their job.

accept

except

Don't confuse accept /ək'sept/ with except /ɪk'sept/.

1. 'accept'

Accept is a verb. If someone offers you something and you accept it, you agree to take it.

I never accept presents from clients.
See accept
2. 'except'

Except is a preposition or conjunction. You use it to show that a statement does not include a particular thing or person.

All the boys except Paul started to giggle.
See except
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

accept


Past participle: accepted
Gerund: accepting

Imperative
accept
accept
Present
I accept
you accept
he/she/it accepts
we accept
you accept
they accept
Preterite
I accepted
you accepted
he/she/it accepted
we accepted
you accepted
they accepted
Present Continuous
I am accepting
you are accepting
he/she/it is accepting
we are accepting
you are accepting
they are accepting
Present Perfect
I have accepted
you have accepted
he/she/it has accepted
we have accepted
you have accepted
they have accepted
Past Continuous
I was accepting
you were accepting
he/she/it was accepting
we were accepting
you were accepting
they were accepting
Past Perfect
I had accepted
you had accepted
he/she/it had accepted
we had accepted
you had accepted
they had accepted
Future
I will accept
you will accept
he/she/it will accept
we will accept
you will accept
they will accept
Future Perfect
I will have accepted
you will have accepted
he/she/it will have accepted
we will have accepted
you will have accepted
they will have accepted
Future Continuous
I will be accepting
you will be accepting
he/she/it will be accepting
we will be accepting
you will be accepting
they will be accepting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been accepting
you have been accepting
he/she/it has been accepting
we have been accepting
you have been accepting
they have been accepting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been accepting
you will have been accepting
he/she/it will have been accepting
we will have been accepting
you will have been accepting
they will have been accepting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been accepting
you had been accepting
he/she/it had been accepting
we had been accepting
you had been accepting
they had been accepting
Conditional
I would accept
you would accept
he/she/it would accept
we would accept
you would accept
they would accept
Past Conditional
I would have accepted
you would have accepted
he/she/it would have accepted
we would have accepted
you would have accepted
they would have accepted
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.accept - consider or hold as trueaccept - consider or hold as true; "I cannot accept the dogma of this church"; "accept an argument"
recognize, acknowledge, know, recognise - accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority; "The Crown Prince was acknowledged as the true heir to the throne"; "We do not recognize your gods"
sweep up, embrace, espouse, adopt - take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own; "She embraced Catholicism"; "They adopted the Jewish faith"
pass judgment, evaluate, judge - form a critical opinion of; "I cannot judge some works of modern art"; "How do you evaluate this grant proposal?" "We shouldn't pass judgment on other people"
believe - accept as true; take to be true; "I believed his report"; "We didn't believe his stories from the War"; "She believes in spirits"
receive - accept as true or valid; "He received Christ"
approbate - accept (documents) as valid
accept - react favorably to; consider right and proper; "People did not accept atonal music at that time"; "We accept the idea of universal health care"
reconcile, resign, submit - accept as inevitable; "He resigned himself to his fate"
acknowledge - accept as legally binding and valid; "acknowledge the deed"
take a bow - acknowledge praise or accept credit; "They finally took a bow for what they did"
abide by, honor, honour, respect, observe - show respect towards; "honor your parents!"
reject - refuse to accept or acknowledge; "I reject the idea of starting a war"; "The journal rejected the student's paper"
2.accept - receive willingly something given or offeredaccept - receive willingly something given or offered; "The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter"; "I won't have this dog in my house!"; "Please accept my present"
receive, have - get something; come into possession of; "receive payment"; "receive a gift"; "receive letters from the front"
acquire, get - come into the possession of something concrete or abstract; "She got a lot of paintings from her uncle"; "They acquired a new pet"; "Get your results the next day"; "Get permission to take a few days off from work"
admit, take on, accept, take - admit into a group or community; "accept students for graduate study"; "We'll have to vote on whether or not to admit a new member"
welcome - accept gladly; "I welcome your proposals"
honor, honour - accept as pay; "we honor checks and drafts"
adopt, borrow, take up, take over - take up and practice as one's own
pass up, turn down, decline, refuse, reject - refuse to accept; "He refused my offer of hospitality"
3.accept - give an affirmative reply toaccept - give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to; "I cannot accept your invitation"; "I go for this resolution"
give - consent to engage in sexual intercourse with a man; "She gave herself to many men"
react, respond - show a response or a reaction to something
agree - consent or assent to a condition, or agree to do something; "She agreed to all my conditions"; "He agreed to leave her alone"
settle - accept despite lack of complete satisfaction; "We settled for a lower price"
contract in - consent in writing to pay money to a trade union for political use
countenance, permit, allow, let - consent to, give permission; "She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband"; "I won't let the police search her basement"; "I cannot allow you to see your exam"
buckle under, knuckle under, succumb, give in, yield - consent reluctantly
take in charge, undertake - accept as a charge
refuse, decline - show unwillingness towards; "he declined to join the group on a hike"
4.accept - react favorably toaccept - react favorably to; consider right and proper; "People did not accept atonal music at that time"; "We accept the idea of universal health care"
accept - consider or hold as true; "I cannot accept the dogma of this church"; "accept an argument"
react, respond - show a response or a reaction to something
5.accept - admit into a group or communityaccept - admit into a group or community; "accept students for graduate study"; "We'll have to vote on whether or not to admit a new member"
profess - receive into a religious order or congregation
accept, take, have - receive willingly something given or offered; "The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter"; "I won't have this dog in my house!"; "Please accept my present"
let in, admit, include - allow participation in or the right to be part of; permit to exercise the rights, functions, and responsibilities of; "admit someone to the profession"; "She was admitted to the New Jersey Bar"
6.accept - take on as one's own the expenses or debts of another person; "I'll accept the charges"; "She agreed to bear the responsibility"
take - take into one's possession; "We are taking an orphan from Romania"; "I'll take three salmon steaks"
carry-the can, face the music - accept the unpleasant consequences of one's actions
7.accept - tolerate or accommodate oneself toaccept - tolerate or accommodate oneself to; "I shall have to accept these unpleasant working conditions"; "I swallowed the insult"; "She has learned to live with her husband's little idiosyncrasies"
brook, endure, tolerate, stomach, abide, bear, digest, stick out, suffer, put up, stand, support - put up with something or somebody unpleasant; "I cannot bear his constant criticism"; "The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks"; "he learned to tolerate the heat"; "She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage"
8.accept - be designed to hold or takeaccept - be designed to hold or take; "This surface will not take the dye"
be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
9.accept - receive (a report) officially, as from a committee
receive, have - get something; come into possession of; "receive payment"; "receive a gift"; "receive letters from the front"
10.accept - make use of or accept for some purposeaccept - make use of or accept for some purpose; "take a risk"; "take an opportunity"
co-opt - take or assume for one's own use; "He co-opted the criticism and embraced it"
11.accept - be sexually responsive to, used of a female domesticated mammalaccept - be sexually responsive to, used of a female domesticated mammal; "The cow accepted the bull"
react, respond - show a response or a reaction to something
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

accept

verb
1. receive, take, gain, pick up, secure, collect, have, get, obtain, acquire All old clothes will be gratefully accepted by the organizers.
3. say yes to, agree to, comply with Eventually she was persuaded to accept an offer of marriage.
4. acknowledge, believe, allow, admit, adopt, approve, recognize, yield, concede, swallow (informal), buy (slang), affirm, profess, consent to, buy into (slang), cooperate with, take on board, accede, acquiesce, concur with I do not accept that there is any kind of crisis in the industry.
5. stand, take, experience, suffer, bear, allow, weather, cope with, tolerate, sustain, put up with, wear (Brit. slang), stomach, endure, undergo, brook, hack (slang), abide, withstand, bow to, yield to, countenance, like it or lump it (informal) Urban dwellers have to accept noise as part of city life.
6. welcome, receive, greet, embrace, hail, usher in, receive with open arms, accept gladly, bid welcome He was accepted into the family like a brother.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

accept

verb
1. To receive (something given or offered) willingly and gladly:
2. To admit to one's possession, presence, or awareness:
3. To allow admittance, as to a group:
4. To regard (something) as true or real:
Slang: buy, swallow.
5. To perceive and recognize the meaning of:
Informal: savvy.
Slang: dig.
Chiefly British: twig.
Scots: ken.
6. To put up with:
Informal: lump.
Idioms: take it, take it lying down.
7. To respond affirmatively; receive with agreement or compliance:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
قبليَقْبَلُيَقْبَل، يَتَقَبَّليُوَافِق عَلَى، يُسَلِّم بِ
přijmout
accepteregodtagetage
hyväksyäottaa vastaansietäävastaanottaa
prihvatiti
beleegyezikelfogad
fallast á, samòykkjaòiggja
受け入れる
받아들이다
atsiliepimaslaukiamasmielaspriimtipriimtinas
atzītpiekristpieņemt
sprejeti
acceptera
ยอมรับ
chấp nhận

accept

[əkˈsept]
A. VT
1. [+ gift, invitation, apology, offer] → aceptar; [+ report] → aprobar (Med) [+ transplant] → tolerar
the Academy accepted the word in 1970la Academia admitió la palabra en 1970
2. [machine] [+ coin] → admitir
3. (Comm) [+ cheque, orders] → aceptar
4. (= acknowledge) → reconocer, admitir; [+ person] → admitir, acoger
it is accepted thatse reconoce or admite que ...
I do not accept that way of doing itno apruebo ese modo de hacerlo
to accept responsibility for sthasumir la responsabilidad de algo
he was accepted as one of usse lo admitió or acogió como a uno de nosotros
B. VIaceptar, asentir
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

accept

[ækˈsɛpt] vt
[+ invitation, offer, proposal, resignation, gift] → accepter
[+ blame, responsibility] → accepter
[+ credit card, Euros, dollars, cheque] → accepter
(= recognize as valid) [+ view, opinion] → se ranger à; [+ authority, rule] → accepter
to accept that ... → admettre que ...
(= be resigned to) [+ change, fate, unpleasant fact, noise, death] → accepter
[+ person] → accepter
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

accept

vt
akzeptieren; apology, offer, gift, invitationannehmen; responsibilityübernehmen; (= believe) storyglauben; a photograph of the President accepting the awardein Bild von dem Präsidenten, wie er die Auszeichnung entgegennimmt; we will not accept anything but the bestwir werden nur das Allerbeste akzeptieren or annehmen; to accept somebody into societyjdn in die Gesellschaft aufnehmen
(= recognize) needeinsehen, anerkennen; person, dutyakzeptieren, anerkennen; it is generally or widely accepted that …es ist allgemein anerkannt, dass …; we must accept the fact that …wir müssen uns damit abfinden, dass …; I accept that it might take a little longerich sehe ein, dass es etwas länger dauern könnte; the government accepted that the treaty would on occasions have to be infringeddie Regierung akzeptierte, dass der Vertrag gelegentlich verletzt werden würde; to accept that something is one’s responsibility/dutyetw als seine Verantwortung/Pflicht akzeptieren
(= allow, put up with) behaviour, fate, conditionshinnehmen; we’ll just have to accept things as they arewir müssen die Dinge eben so (hin)nehmen, wie sie sind
(Comm) cheque, ordersannehmen; deliveryannehmen, abnehmen
viannehmen; (with offers also) → akzeptieren; (with invitations also) → zusagen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

accept

[əkˈsɛpt] vt (gen) → accettare; (acknowledge) → ammettere
I can't accept that he's really in financial difficulties → mi rifiuto di credere che abbia davvero delle difficoltà economiche
he refused to accept defeat → non ha voluto ammettere la sua sconfitta
it's the accepted thing → è un'usanza comunemente accettata
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

accept

(əkˈsept) verb
1. to take (something offered). He accepted the gift.
2. to believe in, agree to or acknowledge. We accept your account of what happened; Their proposal was accepted; He accepted responsibility for the accident.
acˈceptable adjective
1. satisfactory. The decision should be acceptable to most people.
2. pleasing. a very acceptable gift.
acˈceptably adverb
acˈceptance noun
We have had few acceptances to our invitation.
acˈcepted adjective
generally recognized. It is an accepted fact that the world is round.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

accept

يَقْبَلُ přijmout acceptere akzeptieren δέχομαι aceptar hyväksyä accepter prihvatiti accettare 受け入れる 받아들이다 accepteren godta przyjąć aceitar принять acceptera ยอมรับ kabul etmek chấp nhận 接受
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

accept

v. aceptar, admitir, acoger, aprobar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
"But, if he should accept it; if he should even think of accepting it!"
But the whole effect is spoiled when I look at them - at Tetralani, five feet ten in her stocking feet and weighing a hundred and ninety pounds, and at Barillo, a scant five feet four, greasy-featured, with the chest of a squat, undersized blacksmith, and at the pair of them, attitudinizing, clasping their breasts, flinging their arms in the air like demented creatures in an asylum; and when I am expected to accept all this as the faithful illusion of a love-scene between a slender and beautiful princess and a handsome, romantic, young prince - why, I can't accept it, that's all.
Now, how much I am indebted to you I realised when you told me that you were spending for my benefit the sum which you are always reported to have laid by at your bankers; but, now that I have learnED that you never possessed such a fund, but that, on hearing of my destitute plight, and being moved by it, you decided to spend upon me the whole of your salary--even to forestall it--and when I had fallen ill, actually to sell your clothes--when I learnED all this I found myself placed in the harassing position of not knowing how to accept it all, nor what to think of it.
"The illusion which man has that his will is free is so deeply rooted that I am ready to accept it.
She has never been permitted to call me anything but Captain; and on the rare occasions since our union, when circumstances may have obliged her to address me by letter, her opening form of salutation has been rigidly restricted to 'Dear Sir.' Accept these trifling domestic particulars as suggesting hints which may be useful to you in managing Mrs.
"I thank you, ma'am, sincerely thank you," said Marianne, with warmth: "your invitation has insured my gratitude for ever, and it would give me such happiness, yes, almost the greatest happiness I am capable of, to be able to accept it.
This is his position, in two words: A little while since, he obtained an excellent offer of employment abroad, from a rich relative of his, and he had made all his arrangements to accept it.
Accept their bounty while ye may, Before we be accepted by the worms,"
Also that I can accept no second or inferior position.
But he secured silence by declaring that henceforth the Circles would enter on a policy of Concession; yielding to the wishes of the majority, they would accept the Colour Bill.
The furthest records or surmises or inferences simply accept it as existing.
As matters stood, he had no choice but to accept Mr.