The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Acceptance \Ac*cept"ance\, n.
   1. The act of accepting; a receiving what is offered, with
      approbation, satisfaction, or acquiescence; esp.,
      favorable reception; approval; as, the acceptance of a
      gift, office, doctrine, etc.
      [1913 Webster]

            They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar.
                                                  --Isa. lx. 7.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. State of being accepted; acceptableness. "Makes it assured
      of acceptance." --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Com.)
      (a) An assent and engagement by the person on whom a bill
          of exchange is drawn, to pay it when due according to
          the terms of the acceptance.
      (b) The bill itself when accepted.
          [1913 Webster]

   4. An agreeing to terms or proposals by which a bargain is
      concluded and the parties are bound; the reception or
      taking of a thing bought as that for which it was bought,
      or as that agreed to be delivered, or the taking
      possession as owner.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. (Law) An agreeing to the action of another, by some act
      which binds the person in law.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: What acts shall amount to such an acceptance is often a
         question of great nicety and difficulty. --Mozley & W.
         [1913 Webster]

   Note: In modern law, proposal and acceptance are the
         constituent elements into which all contracts are
         resolved.
         [1913 Webster]

   acceptance of a bill of exchange, acceptance of a check,
   acceptance of a draft, or acceptance of an order, is an
      engagement to pay it according to the terms. This
      engagement is usually made by writing the word "accepted"
      across the face of the bill.

   Acceptance of goods, under the statute of frauds, is an
      intelligent acceptance by a party knowing the nature of
      the transaction.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. Meaning; acceptation. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

   Acceptance of persons, partiality, favoritism. See under
      Accept.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

acceptance
    n 1: the mental attitude that something is believable and should
         be accepted as true; "he gave credence to the gossip";
         "acceptance of Newtonian mechanics was unquestioned for 200
         years" [syn: credence, acceptance]
    2: the act of accepting with approval; favorable reception; "its
       adoption by society"; "the proposal found wide acceptance"
       [syn: adoption, acceptance, acceptation, espousal]
    3: the state of being acceptable and accepted; "torn jeans
       received no acceptance at the country club" [ant:
       rejection]
    4: (contract law) words signifying consent to the terms of an
       offer (thereby creating a contract)
    5: banking: a time draft drawn on and accepted by a bank [syn:
       acceptance, banker's acceptance]
    6: a disposition to tolerate or accept people or situations;
       "all people should practice toleration and live together in
       peace" [syn: toleration, acceptance, sufferance]
    7: the act of taking something that is offered; "her acceptance
       of the gift encouraged him"; "he anticipated their acceptance
       of his offer"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

226 Moby Thesaurus words for "acceptance":
   CD, IOU, John Hancock, MO, OK, acceptance bill, acceptation,
   acception, accession, accord, acknowledgment, acquiescence,
   acquisition, adherence, admiration, admission, admittance,
   adoption, affiliation, affirmance, affirmation, affirmative,
   affirmative voice, agreement, agreement in principle, allowance,
   appreciation, approbation, approval, assent, assentation,
   assumption, authentication, authorization, avowal, aye,
   bank acceptance, bank check, baptism, bill, bill of draft,
   bill of exchange, blank check, blessing, certificate,
   certificate of deposit, certification, certified check, check,
   checkbook, cheque, clemency, clementness, comfort,
   commercial paper, compassion, complaisance, compliance, composure,
   concession, concurrence, confession, confirmation, connivance,
   consent, content, contentedness, contentment, countenance,
   countersignature, debenture, declaration, deference, demand bill,
   demand draft, derivation, draft, due bill, eagerness, ease,
   easiness, easygoingness, embracement, endorsement, endurance,
   enlistment, enrollment, entire satisfaction, espousal, esteem,
   euphoria, exchequer bill, favor, favorable vote, forbearance,
   forbearing, forbearingness, fortitude, fulfillment,
   general agreement, gentleness, getting, go-ahead, green light,
   happiness, hearty assent, homage, humaneness, humanity, immission,
   imprimatur, inauguration, induction, indulgence, initiation,
   installation, instatement, intromission, investiture, kneeling,
   laxness, lenience, leniency, lenientness, lenity, letter of credit,
   long-sufferance, long-suffering, longanimity, mercifulness, mercy,
   mildness, moderateness, money order, negotiable instrument, nod,
   nonopposal, nonopposition, nonresistance, notarization, note,
   note of hand, obedience, obeisance, okay, ordination, paper,
   passiveness, passivity, patience, patience of Job, patientness,
   peace of mind, permission, perseverance, pity, postal order,
   profession, promissory note, promptitude, promptness, ratification,
   readiness, receipt, receival, received meaning, receiving,
   reception, recognition, reconcilement, reconciliation, resignation,
   resignedness, respect, rubber stamp, sanction, satisfaction, seal,
   seal of approval, self-control, sight bill, sight draft, sigil,
   signature, signet, softness, stamp, stamp of approval, stoicism,
   subjection, submission, submittal, subscription, sufferance,
   supineness, support, sweet reasonableness, taking, tenderness,
   the nod, time bill, time draft, tolerance, toleration,
   trade acceptance, treasury bill, ungrudgingness, unloathness,
   unreluctance, usage, validation, visa, vise, voice, vote, voucher,
   waiting game, waiting it out, warm assent, warrant, welcome,
   well-being, willingness, yea, yea vote, yielding



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

ACCEPTANCE, contracts. An agreement to receive something which has been
offered.
     2. To complete the contract, the acceptance must be absolute and past
recall, 10 Pick. 826; 1 Pick. 278; and communicated to the party making the
offer at the time and place appointed. 4. Wheat. R. 225; 6 Wend. 103.
     3. In many cases acceptance of a thing waives the right which the party
receiving before had; as, for example, the acceptance of rent after notice
to quit, in general waives. the notice. See Co. Litt. 211, b; Id. 215, a.;
and Notice to quit.
     4. The acceptance may be express, as when it is openly declared by the
party to be bound by it; or implied, as where the party acts as if he had
accepted. The offer, and acceptance must be in some medium understood by,
both parties; it may be language, symbolical, oral or written.  For example,
persons deaf and dumb may contract by symbolical or written language.  At
auction sales, the contract, generally symbolical; a nod, a wink, or some
other sign by one party, imports that he makes an offer, and knocking down a
hammer by the other, that he agrees to it. 3 D. & E. 148.  This subject is
further considered under the articles Assent and Offer, (q v.)
     5. Acceptance of a bill of exchange the act by which the drawee or
other person evinces his assent or intention to comply with and be bound by,
the request contained in a bill of exchange to pay the same; or in other
words, it is an engagement to pay the bill when due. 4 East, 72.  It will be
proper to consider, 1, by whom the acceptance ought to be made; 2, the time
when it is to be made; 3, the form of the acceptance; 4, its extent or
effect.
     6.-1. The acceptance must be made by the drawee himself, or by one
authorized by him. On the presentment of a bill, the holder has a right to
insist upon such an acceptance by the drawee as will subject him at all
events to the payment of the bill, according to its tenor; consequently such
drawee must have capacity to contract, and to bind himself to pay the amount
of the bill, or it, may be treated as dishonored. Marius, 22. See 2 Ad. &
EH. N. S. 16, 17.
     7.-2. As to the time when, a bill ought to be accepted, it may be
before the bill is drawn; in this case it must be in writing; 3 Mass. 1; or
it may be after it is drawn; when the bill is presented, the drawee must
accept the bill within twenty-four hours after presentment, or it should be
treated as dishonored. Chit. Bills, 212. 217. On the refusal to accept, even
within the twenty-four hours, it should be protested. Chit. Bills, 217.  The
acceptance may be made after the bill is drawn, and before it becomes due or
after the time appointed for payment 1 H. Bl. 313; 2 Green, R. 339 ; and
even after refusal to accept so as to bind the acceptor.
     8. The acceptance may also be made supra protest, which is the
acceptance of the bill, after protest for non-acceptance by the drawee, for
the honor of the drawer, or a particular endorser. When a bill has been
accepted supra protest for the honor of one party to the bill, it may be
accepted supra protest, by another individual, for the honor of another.
Beawes, tit.  Bills of Exchange, pl. 52; 5 Campb. R. 447.
     9.-3. As to the form of the acceptance, it is clearly established it
may be in writing on the bill itself, or on another paper, 4 East, 91; or it
may be verbal, 4 East, 67; 10 John. 207; 3 Mass. 1; or it may be expressed
or implied.
    10. An express acceptance is an agreement in direct and express terms to
pay a bill of exchange, either by the party on whom it is drawn, or by some
other person, for the honor of some of the parties. It is Usually in the
words accepted or accepts, but other express words showing an engagement to
pay the bill will be equally binding.
    11. An implied acceptance is an agreement to pay a bill, not by direct
and express terms, but by any acts of the party from which an express
agreement may be fairly inferred. For example, if the drawee writes "seen,"
"presented," or any, other thing upon it, (as the day on which it becomes
due,) this, unless explained by other circumstances, will constitute an
acceptance.
    12.-4. An acceptance in regard to its extent and effect, may be either
absolute, conditional, or partial.
    13. An absolute acceptance is a positive engagement to pay the bill
according   to its tenor, and is usually made by writing on the bill
"accepted," and subscribing the drawee's name; or by merely writing his name
either at the bottom or across the bill. Comb. 401; Vin. Ab. Bills of
Exchange, L 4; Bayl. 77; Chit. Bills, 226 to 228. But in order to bind
another than the drawee, it is requisite his name should appear. Bayl. 78.
    14. A conditional acceptance is one which will subject the drawee or
acceptor to the payment of the money on a contingency, Bayl. 83, 4, 5; Chit.
Bills, 234; Holt's C. N. P. 182; 5 Taunt, 344; 1 Marsh. 186.  The holder is
not bound to receive such an acceptance, but if he do receive it he must
observe its terms. 4 M.& S. 466; 2 W. C. C. R. 485; 1 Campb. 425.
    15. A partial acceptance varies from the tenor of the bill, as where it
is made to pay part of the sum for which the bill is drawn, 1 Stra. 214; 2
Wash. C. C. R. 485; or to pay at a different time, Molloy, b. 2, c. 10, s.
20; or place, 4. M.& S. 462.