What does "receiver" mean?
A person who receives.; An official whose job is to receive taxes or other monies; a tax collector, a treasurer.
Receiver
/ɹəˈsi.vɚ/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who receives.; An official whose job is to receive taxes or other monies; a tax collector, a treasurer.
- Grammar: receiver is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: liquidator, recipient, accepter, accountant.
- Useful contrasts: applicator, bailor, bearer.
- Usage evidence: I forgot to lift the receiver before dialing the number.
How to use "receiver"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "receiver" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "receiver" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "receiver" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "receiver" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "receiver" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "liquidator" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "receiver", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who receives.; An official whose job is to receive taxes or other monies; a tax collector, a treasurer. historical
- 2 set that receives radio or tv signals wordnet
- 3 A person who receives.; A person who receives something in a general sense; a recipient.
"I, the writer of this paper, have been, for some time, a chosen receiver of Begging Letters."
- 4 earphone that converts electrical signals into sounds wordnet
- 5 A person who receives.; A person who accepts stolen goods.
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 a person who receives something wordnet
- 7 A person who receives.; A person or company appointed to settle the affairs of an insolvent entity.
"It took the name Midland & South Western Junction in 1884 and reached Cheltenham, with its M.R. connection, in 1891; but poverty continued - a receiver had been appointed in 1884."
- 8 (law) a person (usually appointed by a court of law) who liquidates assets or preserves them for the benefit of affected parties wordnet
- 9 A person who receives.; An offensive player who catches the ball after it has been passed.
- 10 a football player who catches (or is supposed to catch) a forward pass wordnet
- 11 A person who receives.; A person who attempts to return the serve.
- 12 the tennis player who receives the serve wordnet
- 13 An item or apparatus that receives.; Something which receives some substance or object, in a general sense; a receptacle.
- 14 An item or apparatus that receives.; A vessel for receiving and holding the products of distillation, or for containing gases.
- 15 An item or apparatus that receives.; An airtight vessel from which air is pumped in order to form a vacuum. historical
"A man can live in thick air, but perishes in an exhausted receiver."
- 16 An item or apparatus that receives.; The part of a firearm containing the action.
- 17 An item or apparatus that receives.; A vessel for receiving the exhaust steam from the high-pressure cylinder before it enters the low-pressure cylinder, in a compound steam engine. historical
- 18 An item or apparatus that receives.; Any of several electronic devices that receive electromagnetic waves, or signals transmitted as such.
"The FCC says it decided to attempt standardization of VHF receivers after getting "thousands of complaints" from disgruntled boatmen who found their sets brought in mostly a lot of garble and static."
- 19 An item or apparatus that receives.; The part of a telephone handset contained in the earpiece; (hence) the handset itself; an earpiece.
"There they waited until after eleven, then Paulvitch took down the receiver of their telephone. He called a number."
- 20 An item or apparatus that receives.; A swaption which gives its holder the option to enter into a swap in which they pay the floating leg and receive the fixed leg.
Antonyms
Example
"I forgot to lift the receiver before dialing the number."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "receiver"?
Common synonyms include: liquidator, recipient, accepter, accountant, acquirer, addressee.
How do you use "receiver" in a sentence?
I forgot to lift the receiver before dialing the number.
How do you pronounce "receiver"?
Pronounced /ɹəˈsi.vɚ/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English receyvour, from Anglo-Norman receverre, receivour et al., later also reformed as receive + -er. Compare recevor, rescaivour.