acceptance

noun

ac·​cep·​tance ik-ˈsep-tən(t)s 

ak-

1

: the quality or state of being accepted or acceptable

His theories have gained widespread acceptance.

2

: the act of accepting something or someone : the fact of being accepted : approval

acceptance of responsibility

3

law : an agreeing either expressly or by conduct to the act or offer of another so that a contract is concluded and the parties become legally bound

4

a

: the act of accepting a time draft or bill of exchange for payment when due according to the specified terms

b

: an accepted draft or bill of exchange

5

: acceptation sense 2

Examples of acceptance in a Sentence

her acceptance into the club

The university has sent me a letter of acceptance.

He delivered an acceptance speech after he was chosen as the party's presidential nominee.

Recent Examples on the Web

While many polls show that acceptance for LGBTQ+ rights has generally increased over the past 20 years, most Americans are less supportive of transgender girls and women participating in women's sports. —Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025

Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Ars Technica Addendum and Your California Privacy Rights. —John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 1 Apr. 2025

UChicago notifies counselors before students, and one of his friends overheard a counselor discussing his acceptance. —Ikram Mohamed, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025

Consumers also are showing broad acceptance of AI shopping tools. —Joan Verdon, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French, "agreement to abide by the act on another," from accepter "to accept" + -ance -ance

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing acceptance

• acceptance speech
• banker's acceptance
• find acceptance
• self-acceptance
• trade acceptance

Rhymes for acceptance

• nonacceptance

Kids Definition

acceptance

noun

ac·​cep·​tance ik-ˈsep-tən(t)s 

ak-

1

: the act of accepting

2

: the quality or state of being accepted or acceptable