receipts

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Printed or digital slips that prove you paid for something, listing what was bought and the cost.

   Grammar: The plural of receipt; you keep receipts, one receipt per purchase.

   Patterns

   • receipts for something
   • keep your receipts

   I keep all my receipts in an envelope so I can return things if they break.

   The accountant asked for receipts for every business lunch.

   She scanned her receipts and emailed them to the finance office.

2. 2nounpluralbusiness

   The total money a business or event takes in from customers during a period.

   Grammar: Used in business and news, often with box office or tax: ticket receipts.

   Patterns

   • receipts from something

   Box office receipts for the film passed ten million dollars on opening weekend.

   Tax receipts fell sharply during the recession.

3. 3nounpluralinformalslang

   Evidence or proof, such as screenshots or records, offered to back up a claim, especially online.

   Grammar: Informal and often used with show or have: she has the receipts.

   Patterns

   • show the receipts
   • have the receipts

   He said he never made the promise, but she came with the receipts.

   If you accuse a company of lying, you had better bring receipts.

Word forms

Common combinations

keep receipts

Keep receipts for anything you might want to return.

itemized receipts

The hotel emailed itemized receipts for each night.

box office receipts

Box office receipts doubled after the awards.

expense receipts

Submit your expense receipts by the end of the month.

bring the receipts

Journalists bring the receipts when they accuse officials of wrongdoing.

Synonyms and how they differ

proof of purchase

Proof of purchase is a longer, formal phrase for any evidence you bought something, while receipts are specifically the slips or records.

sales slips

Sales slips is slightly old-fashioned and refers only to paper from a shop, whereas receipts also cover digital records.

takings

Takings is British and means money a shop earns, unlike receipts, which can also mean the proof sheets themselves.

evidence

Evidence is a general word for anything that supports a claim, while the slang receipts implies clear, checkable records.

Opposites

Word family

receipt noun

singular form, one proof of payment

receive verb

to get something that is given or sent

receiver noun

a person or device that receives something

reception noun

the act of receiving, or a place where visitors are greeted

Commonly confused: receipts or recipe?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “receipts”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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