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receive an email from
/rɪˈsiːv ən ˈiːmeɪl frəm/
get a digital message from someone
I received an email from the HR department regarding my interview.
I got a digital message from the Human Resources team about my job interview.
Technology
informal
To have a digital message sent by a specific person or organization arrive in your inbox.
Did you receive an email from the client yet?
Has the digital message from the customer arrived in your inbox yet?
This is a standard verb + object + prepositional phrase structure. It is literal and non-idiomatic.
Collocations
receive an email from a colleagueget a message from a coworkerreceive an email from a spammerget a message from an unsolicited sender
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Preposition Usage
Always use 'from' to indicate the sender. Do not say 'receive an email of' unless referring to the content topic (e.g., 'an email of complaint').
Gold Rule
Subject-Verb Agreement
Ensure the subject matches the verb form: 'He receives an email' vs. 'They receive an email'.
Word Origin
From Old French 'receivre' (to take back) + 'email' (electronic mail, coined in the 1970s).
Usage Notes
This phrase is neutral and widely used in both professional and casual contexts. It specifically refers to the act of the message arriving, not necessarily reading or replying to it.
Word Breakdown
receive
to get or be given something
rootan email
a digital message
objectfrom
indicating the source or origin
prepositionEnglish Dictionary