acceptance

A1C3C3E1P3T1A1N1C3E1
Canada, US, UK/əkˈsɛp.təns/Australia, New Zealand/əkˈsep.təns/

noun

The act of accepting; the receiving of something offered, with acquiescence, approbation, or satisfaction; especially, favourable reception; approval.

“the acceptance of a gift, office, doctrine, etc.”

Opposite
Very commonScrabble 18

Meanings

nounacceptance (countable and uncountable, plural acceptances)

plural acceptances · alternative acceptaunce

  1. uncountableThe act of accepting; the receiving of something offered, with acquiescence, approbation, or satisfaction; especially, favourable reception; approval.

    the acceptance of a gift, office, doctrine, etc.

    1 more example

    All the flockes of Kedar shall be gathered together vnto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister vnto thee: they shall come vp with acceptance on mine altar, and I wil glorifie the house of my glory.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 60:7

    Synonyms: accepting, receiving, reception, approval

  2. countableAn instance of that act.
  3. countableuncountableBelief in something; agreement, assent.
  4. countableuncountableThe state of being accepted.

    The warrant I haue of your Honourable Diſpoſition, not the Worth of my vntutor'd Lines makes it aſſured of acceptance.

    1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC

    Synonyms: acceptableness

  5. countableuncountableThe usual or accepted meaning of a word or expression.
  6. countableuncountablebusinessAn assent and engagement by the person on whom a bill of exchange is drawn, to pay it when due according to the terms of the acceptance; the bill of exchange itself when accepted.

    Synonyms: assent

  7. countableuncountablelawAn agreeing to the action, proposals, or terms of another by some act which results in the conclusion of a legally binding contract; the reception or taking of a thing bought as that for which it was bought, or as that agreed to be delivered, or the taking of possession of a thing as owner.

    But what acts shall amount to such an acceptance is often a question of great nicety and difficulty.

    1876, Herbert Newman Mozley, George Crispe Whiteley, A Concise Law Dictionary, London: Butterworths, […] , →OCLC, page 4, column 2
  8. UScountableuncountablegovernmentThe act of an authorized representative of the government by which the government assents to ownership of existing and identified supplies, or approves specific services rendered, as partial or complete performance of a contract.
  9. AustraliaNew Zealandcountablepluralplural onlyuncountablehobbiesA list of horses accepted as starters in a race.
  10. countableuncountableengineeringSynonym of etendue.

    Synonyms: etendue

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe act of accepting; the receiving of something offered, with acquiescence, approbation, or satisfaction; especially, favourable reception; approval.

nounThe state of being accepted.

nounAn assent and engagement by the person on whom a bill of exchange is drawn, to pay it when due according to the terms of the acceptance; the bill of exchange itself when accepted.

Similar

nounSynonym of etendue.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true

Similar
Broader
attitudemental attitude

nounthe act of accepting with approval; favorable reception

nounthe state of being acceptable and accepted

Opposite

nouna time draft drawn on and accepted by a bank

Broader
draftbill of exchangeorder of payment

nouna disposition to tolerate or accept people or situations

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  2. Proto-Italic*ad
  3. Proto-Italic*ad-
  4. Latinad-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*kapyéti
  7. Proto-Italic*kapjō
  8. Latincapiō
  9. Latinaccipiō
  10. Latinacceptāre
  11. Old Frenchaccepter
  12. Middle Frenchacceptance
  13. Old Frenchaccepterder.?
  14. Middle Englishaccepten
  15. Englishaccept
  16. Englishacceptance

* First attested in 1528–1530. Probably partly from Middle French acceptance (from Old French accepter (“accept”)) and partly from accept + -ance.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀποδοχή
  • ἀποδοχή (apodokhḗ)act of accepting
Arabic قَبُول, قُبُول
  • قَبُول (qabūl)act of accepting
  • قُبُول (qubūl)act of accepting
Bengali কবুল
  • কবুল (kobul)act of accepting
Bulgarian приемане, акцептиране
  • приемане (priemane)act of accepting
  • акцептиране (akceptirane)assent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
  • съгласие (săglasie)agreeing which results in a legally binding contract
Catalan acceptació
  • acceptacióact of accepting
Czech přijetí
  • přijetíact of accepting
Dutch acceptatie, acceptatie
  • acceptatieact of accepting
  • acceptatiestate of being accepted
  • acceptatieassent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
  • aanvaardingagreeing which results in a legally binding contract
Esperanto akcepto
  • akceptoact of accepting
Estonian heakskiitmine, nõusolek
  • heakskiitminestate of being accepted
  • nõusolekagreeing which results in a legally binding contract
Finnish hyväksyntä, hyväksyminen
  • hyväksyntäact of accepting
  • hyväksyminenact of accepting
  • hyväksyntästate of being accepted
  • hyväksyntäassent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
  • tunnustebill of exchange when accepted
  • hyväksyntäagreeing which results in a legally binding contract
  • hyväksytytlist of horses accepted as starters in a race
French acceptation, adhésion
  • acceptationact of accepting
  • adhésionstate of being accepted
  • admissionstate of being accepted
  • adoptionstate of being accepted
  • assimilationstate of being accepted
  • reconnaissancestate of being accepted
  • acceptationassent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
  • acceptationagreeing which results in a legally binding contract
German Annahme, Annahme
  • Annahmeact of accepting
  • Annahmestate of being accepted
  • Annahmeassent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
  • Vertragbill of exchange when accepted
  • Annahmeagreeing which results in a legally binding contract
Greek αποδοχή
  • αποδοχή (apodochí)act of accepting
Hindi स्वीकारना, स्वीकृति
  • स्वीकारना (svīkārnā)act of accepting
  • स्वीकृति (svīkŕti)act of accepting
  • स्वीकृत (svīkŕt)state of being accepted
Hungarian elfogadás
  • elfogadásact of accepting
Indonesian akseptasi
  • akseptasibill of exchange when accepted
Irish glacadh
  • glacadhact of accepting
Italian accettazione
  • accettazioneact of accepting
Japanese 受け入れ, 承諾
  • 受け入れ (ukeire)act of accepting
  • 承諾 (shōdaku)agreeing which results in a legally binding contract
Latin acceptiō
  • acceptiōact of accepting
Malay penerimaan
  • penerimaanbill of exchange when accepted
Polish przyjęcie, akceptacja
  • przyjęcieact of accepting
  • akceptacjaact of accepting
  • akceptacjaassent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
  • akceptassent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
  • akceptbill of exchange when accepted
Portuguese aceitação, aceitação
  • aceitaçãoact of accepting
  • aceitaçãostate of being accepted
  • aceiteassent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
  • aceitaçãoagreeing which results in a legally binding contract
Romanian acceptare, acceptanță
  • acceptareact of accepting
  • acceptanțăact of accepting
  • primireact of accepting
  • acceptarestate of being accepted
  • accepțiestate of being accepted
  • acceptareagreeing which results in a legally binding contract
Russian получе́ние, одобре́ние
  • получе́ние (polučénije)act of accepting
  • одобре́ние (odobrénije)state of being accepted
  • призна́ние (priznánije)state of being accepted
  • акце́пт (akcépt)assent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
  • догово́р (dogovór)bill of exchange when accepted
  • приня́тие (prinjátije)agreeing which results in a legally binding contract
Spanish aceptación, aceptación
  • aceptaciónact of accepting
  • aceptaciónassent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
Tagalog pagtanggap, pagsang-ayon
  • pagtanggapact of accepting
  • pagsang-ayonagreeing which results in a legally binding contract
Turkish kabul, akseptans
  • kabulact of accepting
  • akseptansassent and engagement by person on whom bill of exchange is drawn
Ukrainian прийняття́, прийма́ння
  • прийняття́ (pryjnjattjá)act of accepting
  • прийма́ння (pryjmánnja)act of accepting
Cite this entry
APA

acceptance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acceptance

MLA

“acceptance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acceptance. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acceptance,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acceptance.

Source: acceptance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.