recipient

noun

re·​cip·​i·​ent ri-ˈsi-pē-ənt How to pronounce recipient (audio)
Synonyms of recipient
: one that receives : receiver
recipient adjective

Examples of recipient in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One of the fund’s first recipients, a man in Colorado whose wife is battling the disease, found Busch through her Substack. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 3 July 2026 David Duchovny and Toni Servillo are this year’s CineMerit recipients. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 July 2026 Two years after graduation, UC bachelor’s degree recipients earned a median of $43,000 — about the same as someone in California with a high school diploma. — Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 3 July 2026 Professor Irene Tracey, recipient of a CBE in 2022 for services to medical research, was there on the first Wednesday of 2023. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for recipient

Word History

Etymology

Latin recipient-, recipiens, present participle of recipere

First Known Use

1558, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of recipient was in 1558

Phrases Containing recipient

Rhymes for recipient

See All Rhymes for recipient

Browse Nearby Words

recipience
recipient
reciprocal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Recipient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recipient. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

recipient

noun
re·​cip·​i·​ent ri-ˈsip-ē-ənt How to pronounce recipient (audio)
: one that receives
the recipient of many honors
recipient adjective

Medical Definition

recipient

noun
re·​cip·​i·​ent ri-ˈsip-ē-ənt How to pronounce recipient (audio)
: an individual who receives biological material (as blood or an organ) from a donor

More from Merriam-Webster on recipient

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for recipient

Nglish: Translation of recipient for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All