accept
accept — verb
1. to willingly take a thing that another person hands you, gives you, or formally
to willingly take a thing that another person hands you, gives you, or formally awards to you.
Viraj accepted the small wooden bird her grandfather had carved for her birthday.
accept + concrete gift object
Please accept this bunch of roses as a thank-you for helping us move house.
imperative form for polite gestures
The young pianist walked on stage and accepted the gold medal from the judges.
accept + award from + giver
Dimitri politely accepted a cup of green tea from his new neighbour.
Aiko was so surprised that she could barely accept the bouquet without crying.
- accept a gift
- accept a prize
- accept an award
- gratefully accept
Grammar Patterns
accept + noun (a gift, a prize, a job)
Usage Note
Subject is usually a person, and the object is a physical thing or formal award being handed over. Distinguish from sense 2, where the object is an offer or invitation rather than an item.
Common Mistakes
2. to reply yes when an invitation, offer, or proposal is put to you, agreeing to g
to reply yes when an invitation, offer, or proposal is put to you, agreeing to go ahead with it.
After thinking it over for a week, Mei accepted the job offer from the Tokyo office.
accept + job offer (typical collocation)
Aiko was thrilled to accept her friend's invitation to the wedding in Kyoto.
accept + invitation to + event
We invited the whole class to the picnic, and almost everyone accepted.
intransitive use without an object
The committee accepted our proposal to plant more trees along the riverbank.
Daniel accepted his coach's challenge to run a half-marathon next spring.
- accept an invitation
- accept an offer
- accept a proposal
- happily accept
- agree to
interchangeable for proposals; less common for invitations
- say yes to
more conversational and direct
Grammar Patterns
accept + noun (offer, invitation, proposal)
accept (intransitive)
Usage Note
Object is typically an offer, invitation, proposal, or challenge — something you can say yes or no to, not a physical item. Often used without an object when context makes the offer clear.
Common Mistakes
3. to look at a piece of work, an idea, or a person and decide it is good enough or
to look at a piece of work, an idea, or a person and decide it is good enough or right for a particular purpose.
The journal accepted Dr. Wairimu's article after two months of careful review.
accept + a piece of work for publication
Her novel was finally accepted by a small publisher in Edinburgh.
passive: be accepted by + publisher
The judges accepted Jamal's painting into the summer exhibition.
accept + work + into + venue
Her plan for the new bridge was widely accepted as the safest design.
passive + as + evaluative noun phrase
The teacher would not accept any homework written in pencil.
- widely accepted
- generally accepted
- be accepted as
Grammar Patterns
accept + noun + as + noun
be accepted as
Usage Note
Frequently passive (be accepted, be widely accepted). Common in academic, artistic, and review contexts where a gatekeeper judges quality. Distinguish from sense 1: here you judge quality, you do not just take a physical item.
Common Mistakes
4. to come to think that a statement or claim is true, especially after hearing the
to come to think that a statement or claim is true, especially after hearing the reasons or evidence behind it.
Lina finally accepted that her old phone was beyond repair.
accept + that-clause for agreeing something is true
Most scientists now accept that the Earth's climate is warming quickly.
accept + that-clause with widespread expert agreement
The judge would not accept the witness's story about the missing keys.
accept + a story or claim
Her parents simply could not accept that their quiet daughter had won the championship.
I accept your point about the schedule, but we still need more time.
accept + abstract noun (point, argument)
- widely accepted
- reluctantly accept
- accept the fact that
- believe
more general; 'accept' suggests you were once doubtful
- acknowledge
stress on admitting something even when it is hard
Grammar Patterns
accept + that-clause
accept + noun (story, claim, fact)
Usage Note
Only sense in this group that takes a that-clause. Often follows reasoning words like 'finally', 'reluctantly', or 'now' to show the believer was once unsure. Distinguish from sense 5: here you believe something is true; in sense 5 you put up with a hard situation.
Common Mistakes
5. to live with a hard or painful situation calmly, because you have understood tha
to live with a hard or painful situation calmly, because you have understood that you are unable to change it.
After the flood, the villagers had to accept the loss of their homes and start over.
accept + difficult life event
Priya found it hard to accept her grandmother's death, even after a full year.
accept + emotional loss
Dimitri slowly accepted that he would never play professional football again.
accept + that-clause about an unwanted reality
The team had to accept defeat after losing the final by two goals.
accept + defeat (fixed phrase)
After three rejection letters, Viraj finally accepted that her first novel needed a full rewrite.
- accept defeat
- accept the situation
- accept reality
- accept your fate
- endure
stress on suffering bravely over a long time
- come to terms with
highlights the slow emotional process
- resign yourself to
stronger sense of giving up hope of change
Grammar Patterns
accept + noun (reality, situation, fate)
Usage Note
Object must be something unwanted (loss, defeat, illness, fate). Subject is the person enduring the situation. Distinguish from sense 4: in sense 4 you decide a claim is true; here you stop fighting an unpleasant reality.
Common Mistakes
6. (of a school, club, or other group) to allow a new person to join, study, or use
(of a school, club, or other group) to allow a new person to join, study, or use what the group offers.
Yale University accepted Viraj for the autumn term after she sent in her test scores.
accept + person + for + programme
Daniel was accepted into the school orchestra after a short audition.
passive: be accepted into [institution]
The chess club happily accepted the two new members from the high school.
accept + new members (typical collocation)
Many top hospitals will only accept patients who have a referral from their doctor.
accept + patient (service context)
After living in the village for ten years, Dimitri was finally accepted as one of them.
be accepted as + group identity
- accept students
- accept members
- be accepted into
- accept patients
Grammar Patterns
accept + noun + into/onto + group
be accepted into + institution
Usage Note
Subject is usually an institution (school, club, hospital) or its members. Frequently passive: 'be accepted into/onto [programme]'. Different from sense 3 (where the work or idea is judged) — here a person joins or is welcomed.
Common Mistakes
7. to publicly agree that you are the one at fault for a problem, or to take on a d
to publicly agree that you are the one at fault for a problem, or to take on a duty such as paying a debt that has come to you.
The pilot accepted full responsibility for the rough landing in Osaka.
accept + responsibility for + noun
Mr. Sato refused to accept blame for the broken vase in the hallway.
accept + blame for + noun
By signing the form, Aiko accepted the debts left by her late uncle.
passive-leaning: accept + financial obligation
The mayor stood at the podium and accepted liability for the water shortage.
accept + liability for + noun
Dimitri accepted the duty of caring for his grandmother after she fell ill.
accept + the duty of + -ing
- accept full responsibility
- accept the blame
- accept liability
- accept an obligation
Grammar Patterns
accept + responsibility / blame / liability for + noun
Usage Note
Object must be a noun naming a fault or burden — responsibility, blame, liability, the debt, the duty. Distinguish from sense 1 (TAKE): there you accept a gift or a job; here you accept something nobody wants.
Common Mistakes
8. (of a shop, machine, or surface) to be built or set up so that it can take a par
(of a shop, machine, or surface) to be built or set up so that it can take a particular form of payment, or hold something put onto or into it.
The bakery on Renai Road only accepts cash, so bring a few coins.
accept + form of payment (cash, cards)
Most taxis in Taipei now accept credit cards through a small reader on the dashboard.
accept + credit cards / mobile payment
This printer accepts paper up to A3 size, so the poster will fit.
accept + physical material (machine subject)
The old vending machine downstairs will not accept the new ten-dollar coins.
negative: machine refusing input
The wall has been painted so that it accepts thumbtacks without cracking.
accept + small object / surface treatment
- accept cash
- accept credit cards
- accept payment
- accept coins
- reject
of a machine that pushes a coin or card back out
Grammar Patterns
accept + form of payment
accept + physical input
Usage Note
Subject is usually a shop, machine, or surface — not a person making a personal choice. Distinguish from sense 1 (TAKE) and sense 2: here the verb describes a built-in capacity, not a willing decision.
Common Mistakes
9. (of a council, board, or other formal body) to take in a written report from a c
(of a council, board, or other formal body) to take in a written report from a committee as part of an official meeting record.
The town council voted to accept the audit report from the finance committee.
accept + report from + committee
The board accepted the safety report and asked for it to be added to the minutes.
official record context (minutes)
Members voted to accept the working group's findings without further debate.
passive-style: accept + findings
The senate formally accepted the report on student housing presented by Professor Lee.
formal subject + accept + report
- accept a report
- accept the findings
- accept a proposal
- formally accept
Grammar Patterns
accept + a report / proposal (formal body as subject)
Usage Note
Common in council, parliament, and committee minutes. The subject must be a deliberative body; the object is almost always a report, findings, or proposal. Distinguish from sense 3 (APPROVE): accepting a report only enters it into the record, while approving it endorses its content.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- acceptancenounB2
- acceptableadjectiveB1
- acceptablyadverbC1
- unacceptableadjectiveB2
- acceptabilitynounC1
- acceptedadjectiveB2
- acceptingadjectiveB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/2
All five verbs describe saying yes to something, but they differ in scope and force. 'Accept' is the everyday choice when you receive an offer, invitation, or proposal and decide to go along with it: 'Mei accepted the job offer.' 'Agree' is broader — it covers reaching the same opinion as someone, not just responding to an offer: 'They agreed on a price.' 'Consent' is more formal and often legal or medical, focusing on giving permission for something to be done to you or in your name: 'The patient consented to the surgery.' 'Approve' is stronger; the speaker passes a positive judgement, often from a position of authority: 'The board approved the budget.' 'Endorse' goes further still — it means to publicly back something with your name or reputation, common in politics and advertising: 'The senator endorsed the new bill.'
Common collocations
Phrases
- accept the fact that
- accept full responsibility
- be widely accepted
- accept no responsibility for
- refuse to accept
Prepositions
- accept as
- accept from
- accept into
- accept for
- accept by
Etymology
Borrowed into Middle English in the late 14th century from Old French 'accepter', which came from Latin 'acceptare' — a frequentative form of 'accipere' meaning 'to take to oneself, receive'. The Latin verb is built from 'ad-' ('to, toward') and 'capere' ('to take, grasp'), the same root that gives us 'capture', 'capable', and 'receive'. The earliest English uses meant simply 'to take what is offered'; later, the senses of agreeing to a proposal, believing a claim, and admitting a person into a group all grew out of that core idea of willingly taking something in.