# receive

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɹɪˈsiːv/ · frequency rank #1,496

## Definitions
1. To be given, sent, or paid something.
2. To take, as something that is offered; to accept.
3. To take goods knowing them to be stolen.
4. To act as a host for guests; to give admittance to; to permit to enter, as into one's house, presence, company, etc.
5. To incur (an injury).
6. To allow (a custom, tradition, etc.); to give credence or acceptance to.
7. To detect a signal from a transmitter.
8. To be in a position to take possession, or hit back the ball.
9. To be in a position to take possession, or hit back the ball.
10. To accept into the mind; to understand.

## Etymology
From Middle English receyven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere (“take back, accept, etc.”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Displaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (e.g. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen (“to receive”) (from Old English þiċġan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen (“to receive”) (from Old French aquillir, encueillir).

## Easily confused with
- **reeve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-reeve)
- **recipe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-recipe)
- **revive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-revive)
- **recite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-recite)
- **relive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-relive)
- **Recife** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-recife)
- **reserve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-reserve)
- **received** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-received)
- **receives** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-receives)
- **receiver** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-receiver)
- **receptive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-receptive)
- **recessive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receive-vs-recessive)
- **recede** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/recede-vs-receive)
- **receipt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/receipt-vs-receive)
- **reactive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reactive-vs-receive)

## Common misspellings (9)
`erceive`, `rceeive`, `recceive`, `receiev`, `receivve`, `recevie`, `recieve`, `reecive`, `rreceive`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/receive