receive
verb
Simple meaning
To be given something or to get it
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ruhseevSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹəˈsiv
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Get something; come into possession of
transitive
To be given, sent, or paid something.
transitiveintransitive
To accept into the mind; to understand.
transitive
To act as a host for guests; to give admittance to; to permit to enter, as into one's house, presence, company, etc.
To allow (a custom, tradition, etc.); to give credence or acceptance to.
transitive
To incur (an injury).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To accept into the mind; to understand.
Used this way, receive is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use receive
- “The community warmly received the refugees.”verb
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers.
Set that receives radio or tv signals.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Set that receives radio or tv signals.
An electronic receiver that detects and demodulates and amplifies transmitted signals.
The responsibility of receiver or trustee in bankruptcy to act in the best interests of the creditor.
The approved pronunciation of British English.
An electronic receiver that detects and demodulates and amplifies transmitted signals.
A receiver on a communications satellite.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Money that you currently expect to receive from notes or accounts.
A secretary whose main duty is to answer the telephone and receive visitors.
Ready or willing to receive favorably.
A counter (as in a hotel) where guests are received.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.