the act of receiving or state of being received the manner in which something, such as a guest or a new idea, is received: a cold reception a formal party for guests, such as one after a wedding an area in an office, hotel, etc, where visitors or guests are received and appointments or reservations are dealt with - short for reception room
the quality or fidelity of a received radio or television broadcast: the reception was poor
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
re•cep•tion /rɪˈsɛpʃən/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- [countable] the act of receiving or the state of being received.
- a manner of being received:[countable]The book met with a favorable reception.
- a function, party, or occasion when persons are formally received:[countable]a wedding reception.
- Radio and Television the measure of the quality obtained in receiving radio or television broadcasts:[uncountable]poor TV reception.
re•cep•tion
(ri sep′shən),USA pronunciation n.
- the act of receiving or the state of being received.
- a manner of being received:The book met with a favorable reception.
- a function or occasion when persons are formally received:a wedding reception.
- Radio and Televisionthe quality or fidelity attained in receiving radio or television broadcasts under given circumstances.
- Latin receptiōn- (stem of receptiō), equivalent. to recept(us) (past participle of recipere to receive) + -iōn- -ion
- Middle English recepcion 1350–1400
- 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged response, reaction, treatment.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'wedding reception' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):