A receptacle is a container that holds or receives things. The kitchen trash can is a receptacle for garbage. A donation box is a receptacle for contributions. Your backpack serves as a receptacle for books, pencils, and whatever else you stuff into it.

Scientists might use fancy receptacles like beakers and test tubes, while a baker uses bowls and measuring cups as receptacles for ingredients.

You'll also hear receptacle used for electrical outlets in walls, the kind you plug cords into. Electricians and building inspectors call them electrical receptacles because they receive the plugs from your devices.

The word sounds formal compared to simpler words like “container” or “holder,” and people often use it that way. A teacher might ask you to “place your completed tests in the receptacle by the door” instead of just saying “put them in the box.” Using receptacle adds a touch of officiousness, like calling a trash can a “waste receptacle” instead of just “the trash can.”