Receive Definition

rĭ-sēv

received, receives, receiving

verb

received, receives, receiving

To take or get (something given, offered, sent, etc.); acquire or accept.

Webster's New World

To be the person who gets (something sent or transmitted).

Receive an e-mail.

American Heritage

To have (a title, for example) bestowed on oneself.

American Heritage

To hear or see (information, for example).

Receive bad news.

American Heritage

To react to as specified.

A performance that was well received.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

(telecommunications) An operation in which data is received.

Sends and receives.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

idiom

be on the receiving end

Webster's New World

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Receive

From Middle English receiven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere, past participle receptus (“to take back, get back, regain, recover, take to oneself, admit, accept, receive, take in, assume, allow, etc."), from re- (“back") + capio (“to take"); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Replaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (eg. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen (“to receive") (from Old English þicgan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen (“to receive") (from Old French aquillir, encueillir).

From Wiktionary
Middle English receiven from Old North French receivre from Latin recipere re- re- capere to take kap- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition