accept
verb OPAL W
/əkˈsept/
/əkˈsept/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they accept | /əkˈsept/ /əkˈsept/ |
| he / she / it accepts | /əkˈsepts/ /əkˈsepts/ |
| past simple accepted | /əkˈseptɪd/ /əkˈseptɪd/ |
| past participle accepted | /əkˈseptɪd/ /əkˈseptɪd/ |
| -ing form accepting | /əkˈseptɪŋ/ /əkˈseptɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to take willingly something that is offered; to say ‘yes’ to an offer, invitation, etc.
- He asked me to marry him and I accepted.
- accept something Please accept our sincere apologies.
- It was pouring with rain so I accepted his offer of a lift.
- I am unfortunately unable to accept your kind invitation.
- The board of directors accepted our proposal.
- She's decided not to accept the job.
- Please accept this small token of my appreciation.
- accept something from somebody He is charged with accepting bribes from a firm of suppliers.
- accept something for something She said she'd accept $15 for it.
Extra ExamplesTopics Businessa2- I accepted the gift from my sister.
- She graciously accepted my apology.
- She accepted a bribe from an undercover policeman.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- eagerly
- gladly
- graciously
- …
- be glad to
- be happy to
- be reluctant to
- …
- from
- [transitive] to agree to or approve of something
- accept something They accepted the court's decision.
- The judge refused to accept his evidence.
- He accepted all the changes we proposed.
- Are you willing to accept the challenge?
- accept something from somebody She won't accept advice from anyone.
- accept something for something My article has been accepted for publication.
Synonyms agreeagree- accept
- approve
- go along with somebody/something
- consent
- agree to say that you will do what somebody wants or that you will allow something to happen:
- He agreed to let me go early.
- accept to be satisfied with something that has been done, decided or suggested:
- They accepted the court’s decision.
- approve to officially agree to a plan, suggestion or request:
- The committee unanimously approved the plan.
- go along with somebody/something (rather informal) to agree to something that somebody else has decided; to agree with somebody else’s ideas:
- She just goes along with everything he suggests.
- consent (rather formal) to agree to something or give your permission for something:
- She finally consented to answer our questions.
- to agree/consent to something
- to agree/consent to do something
- to agree to/accept/approve/go along with/consent to a plan/proposal
- to agree to/accept/approve a request
Extra ExamplesTopics Discussion and agreementb1- I had no choice but to accept the committee's decision.
- I was very unwilling to accept her resignation.
- He would not accept my advice.
- These figures should not be accepted at face value.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- happily
- readily
- fully
- …
- be happy to
- be prepared to
- be ready to
- …
- be commonly accepted
- be generally accepted
- be universally accepted
- …
- [transitive] accept something to take payment in a particular form
- This machine only accepts coins.
- Credit cards are widely accepted.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- eagerly
- gladly
- graciously
- …
- be glad to
- be happy to
- be reluctant to
- …
- from
- [transitive] accept something to admit that you are responsible or to blame for something
- He accepts full responsibility for what happened.
- You have to accept the consequences of your actions.
Extra Examples- The company cannot accept liability for any damage caused by natural disasters.
- The college cannot accept responsibility for items lost or stolen on its premises.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- happily
- readily
- fully
- …
- be happy to
- be prepared to
- be ready to
- …
- be commonly accepted
- be generally accepted
- be universally accepted
- …
- [transitive] to continue in a difficult situation without complaining, because you realize that you cannot change it
- accept something You just have to accept the fact that we're never going to be rich.
- to be willing/prepared to accept something
- Nothing will change as long as the workers continue to accept these appalling conditions.
- accept something as something They accept the risks as part of the job.
- accept that… He just refused to accept that his father was no longer there.
Extra Examples- Some people readily accept that they may have to pay for medical treatment.
- He would not accept the fact that his father was dead.
- [transitive] to make somebody feel welcome and part of a group
- accept somebody It may take years to be completely accepted by the local community.
- accept somebody into something She had never been accepted into what was essentially a man's world.
- accept somebody as something He never really accepted her as his own child.
- [transitive] to believe that something is true
- accept something I don't accept his version of events.
- accept something as something Can we accept his account as the true version?
- accept that… I accept that this will not be popular.
- I am not prepared to accept that this decision is final.
- it is accepted that… It is generally accepted that people are motivated by success.
- something is accepted to be, have, etc. something Their workforce is widely accepted to have the best conditions in Europe.
Extra Examples- It was true, but hard to accept.
- Most people had come to accept that war was inevitable.
- The government now accepts the need for change.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- happily
- readily
- fully
- …
- be happy to
- be prepared to
- be ready to
- …
- be commonly accepted
- be generally accepted
- be universally accepted
- …
- [transitive] to allow somebody to join an organization, attend an institution, use a service, etc.
- accept somebody The college he applied to has accepted him.
- accept somebody into something She was disappointed not to be accepted into the club.
- accept somebody as something The landlord was willing to accept us as tenants.
- accept somebody to do something She was accepted to study music.
offer/invitation
agree
payment
responsibility
difficult situation
welcome
believe
allow somebody to join
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin acceptare, frequentative of accipere ‘take something to oneself’, from ad- ‘to’ + capere ‘take’.