Okuzeka
Contract & Commercial Law vocabulary · Forming & Drafting Contracts

Acceptance

Meaning in contract & commercial law, with examples

/əkˈseptəns/nounCore term

In contract & commercial law, acceptance means: Clear and unconditional agreement to all the terms of an offer; once it is communicated, a contract is usually formed.

In Turkish: kabul

How it is used

Acceptance must match the offer exactly; if you change any term, you make a counteroffer instead. It can be given in writing, orally or by conduct, for example by starting work. Purchase orders and email confirmations often serve as acceptance.

Example sentences

  1. Your email of 3 May was treated as acceptance of our quotation.

  2. Acceptance must reach the seller before the offer expires.

Common collocations

  • acceptance of an offer
  • unconditional acceptance
  • communicate acceptance
  • letter of acceptance
  • offerA clear proposal by one party to enter into a contract on specific terms, which becomes binding if the other party accepts it.
  • counterofferA reply to an offer that changes some of its terms; it rejects the original offer and becomes a new offer that the other party can accept or refuse.
  • contractA legally binding agreement between two or more parties in which each side promises to do, or not to do, certain things.
  • bindingHaving legal force, so that the parties must do what they have agreed and can be held responsible if they do not.

More terms: Forming & Drafting Contracts

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.