reception room
6
3.2
- noun
- /rɪˈsɛpʃən ruːm/
- If you'll wait in the reception room, Dr. Collins will be in to see you.
Examples
-
In the reception room, a dark-haired teenage girl was staring moodily out the window.
Fiction book (1992) -
Take a peek at what's in the reception room.
-
We're in the, uh, reception room.
-
Doctor, dress him up a bit and take him to the reception room.
-
I'm in the reception room.
-
In the reception room, we continued to soak up kind words of welcome.
Fiction book (1996) -
There was only a number on the door, and although the reception room was luxuriously appointed, there was no company name visible.
Fiction book (1994) -
The reception room holds four chairs and a couch, all upholstered in shades of dark green and blue.
Academic text (2007) -
The remodeling had been extensive, and what had once been a modest oceanfront hotel now boasted reception rooms and a wedding gazebo.
Fiction book (2002) -
If you'll wait in the reception room, Dr. Collins will be in to see you.
Synonyms
323
1.3
A large entrance area in a building where people wait
77
4.4
A room in a house or inn where people sit to talk and meet guests
44
3.9
A large entrance hall in a building like a hotel or theater where people wait
21
4.2
A formal room where guests are received and entertained
21
1.6
A room in a house where people sit and talk
11
6.0
A small entrance hall next to a building's front door where people wait
4
2.8
A large room just inside the main door where people enter and wait
2
1.0
An area by the main door where people meet or wait
2
7.0
A room in a house facing east that people use for sitting during the day
1
9.9
A room in a palace where a king or queen receives guests
How Comfortable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a room where visitors are received and entertained' is directly and compositionally built from 'reception' (the act or event of receiving guests) + 'room' (an indoor space). This noun+noun combination follows common English and cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Reception room comes from the simple idea of a special place where a host 'receives' guests; reception means greeting and room is the space. So imagine a host welcoming visitors and showing them into a comfortable reception room to wait or talk, and that is why it means 'a room where visitors are received and entertained'.