- accept
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/ak sept"/, v.t.1. to take or receive (something offered); receive with approval or favor: to accept a present; to accept a proposal.2. to agree or consent to; accede to: to accept a treaty; to accept an apology.3. to respond or answer affirmatively to: to accept an invitation.4. to undertake the responsibility, duties, honors, etc., of: to accept the office of president.5. to receive or admit formally, as to a college or club.6. to accommodate or reconcile oneself to: to accept the situation.7. to regard as true or sound; believe: to accept a claim; to accept Catholicism.8. to regard as normal, suitable, or usual.9. to receive as to meaning; understand.10. Com. to acknowledge, by signature, as calling for payment, and thus to agree to pay, as a draft.11. (in a deliberative body) to receive as an adequate performance of the duty with which an officer or a committee has been charged; receive for further action: The report of the committee was accepted.12. to receive or contain (something attached, inserted, etc.): This socket won't accept a three-pronged plug.v.i.14. to accept an invitation, gift, position, etc. (sometimes fol. by of).[1350-1400; ME accepten < MF accepter < L acceptare, equiv. to ac- AC- + -cep- take, comb. form of cap- + -t- freq. suffix]Syn. 2. concede. 7. acknowledge.Ant. 1. reject.Usage. ACCEPT and EXCEPT are sometimes confused as verbs because of their similar pronunciations, esp. in rapid speech. ACCEPT means "to take or receive" (I accept this trophy), while EXCEPT means "to exclude" (Certain types of damage are excepted from coverage in this insurance policy).
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Universalium. 2010.
