WordGarden.ioreceivable
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /rɪsˈiːvəbəl/
US
- /rɪˈsivəbəl/
Meanings
Adjective
due to be received, especially as payment
Noun
an amount owed to a business or person, especially in accounting
Beyond the definition
Imagine you have done some work, sent a bill, and now you are waiting to be paid. The money that is still owed to you can be called a "receivable." It is money you expect to get later, not money you already have. This word is used most often in business and accounting. You may see "accounts receivable" on a company's balance sheet, meaning the money its customers still need to pay.
For example, if you run a bakery and deliver a custom cake today, but the customer will pay next week, that payment is a receivable until the cash arrives. More generally, the word can also mean "able to be received," but that use is much less common in everyday English.
"Receivable" usually refers to money that is owed to a person or business and is expected to be paid later. It is common in accounting and finance, where it describes an asset: money that should come in because goods were delivered, work was completed, or a service was provided. When a company sells something now and lets the customer pay later, that unpaid amount becomes a receivable.
The most common phrase is "accounts receivable." This means the money customers owe a business for normal sales made on credit. You may also see similar phrases like "notes receivable," which are amounts backed by a more formal written promise to pay. In this sense, the word often appears as a noun, especially in business writing, and very often in the plural: "receivables."
There is also a broader adjective use. In that use, "receivable" means "able to be received" or "fit to be accepted." That meaning appears less often and is more formal. Most learners, though, will meet the word in the business sense first.
Think of it as money that is on its way to you, at least in theory. If you are a freelance designer and send an invoice after finishing a project, that unpaid invoice is part of what is receivable until the client pays. So the word usually points to value already earned but not yet collected.
Examples
- 1
Collections
The finance team is chasing old accounts receivable before the end of the quarter.
- 2
Late payments
Late payments pushed our receivables higher than usual this month.
- 3
Accounting loss
After the customer went out of business, the company wrote off the receivable as a loss.
- Phrasewrite off
accept that money will probably not be paid
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- outstanding
- accrued
- unbilled
Contrast
- payable
- noncollectible
Used with (collocations)
- accounts receivable
- account receivable
- receivable balance
- trade receivables
Word family
Explore
- asset
- bad debt
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- receivablenounadjective
Forms
- receivablespluralnounadjective