To receive means to get or accept something that is given, sent, or offered to you. When you receive a birthday present, someone hands it to you and you take it. When you receive a letter in the mail, it arrives at your house. When you receive praise from your teacher, their kind words reach you.

The word works for both physical things and abstract ones. You can receive a package, receive an award, receive advice, or receive bad news. A radio receives signals from broadcasting towers. A catcher receives the baseball from the pitcher.

Receiving is different from taking or grabbing. When you receive something, it comes to you, often because someone chose to give it. You don't chase it down or demand it. A student who receives a scholarship didn't take it by force; someone recognized their hard work and offered it.

People sometimes talk about being “on the receiving end” of something, which means being the person who gets it. If you're on the receiving end of a joke, you're the target. If you're on the receiving end of kindness, you're the one being helped.

The opposite of receive is give or send. In football, a receiver is the player who catches passes thrown by the quarterback.