reception

noun

re·​cep·​tion ri-ˈsep-shən 

1

: the act or action or an instance of receiving: such as

a

: receipt

the reception and distribution of funds

b

: admission

reception into the church

c

: response, reaction

the play met with a mixed reception

d

: the receiving of a radio or television broadcast

e

: the catching of a forward pass by a receiver

2

: a social gathering often for the purpose of extending a formal welcome

Did you know?

Reception is the noun form of receive. So at a formal reception, guests are received or welcomed or "taken in". A bad TV reception means the signal isn't being received well. When a new novel receives good reviews, we say it has met with a good critical reception. If it gets a poor reception, on the other hand, that's the same as saying that it wasn't well-received.

Synonyms

• affair
• bash
• binge
• blast
• blowout
• do
• event
• fete
• fête
• function
• get-together
• party
• shindig

Examples of reception in a Sentence

The school held a reception for the new students and their families.

He decided to run for a seat on the school committee only a year after his reception into the community.

Her job is to deal with the reception of donations.

Recent Examples on the Web

The controversy surrounding Emilia Perez comes in stark contrast to the positive reception of Wicked. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025

His 47 catches for 851 yards and 10 TDs complemented the 65 receptions for 971 yards and 13 TDs put up by Brown. —Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025

The deep threat is second in the NFL in average yards per reception, averaging 21.4 yards per catch. —Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025

Driving the news: Mace is the headline speaker at a Delaware GOP reception Friday in Newark, Delaware, according to an invite shared with Axios. —Andrew Solender, Axios, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English recepcion, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French reception, from Latin reception-, receptio, from recipere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing reception

• reception area
• reception class
• reception room

Kids Definition

reception

noun

re·​cep·​tion ri-ˈsep-shən 

1

: the act or process of receiving, welcoming, or accepting

a warm reception

2

: the receiving of a radio or television broadcast

3

: a social gathering

a wedding reception